I have no idea from this point on
by Felix Webster
Summary: A wish series. Which has a different kind of Ranma and Genma showing up at the Tendo Dojo. Rating subject to change as I work out the chapters
1. Chapter 0: Introduction

. . . I have no idea from this point on . . .  
  
Introduction Chapter  
  
By Felix Webster  
  
All original Ranma 1/2 Characters and Back story Copyright Rumiko  
  
Takahashi, and are used without permission. Please don't sue... cause I  
  
have no money.  
  
I want to thank the following people for things (like pre reading):  
  
Chris Stassen  
  
Paul Blay  
  
Warning:  
  
As with a lot of stories of multiple parts, some of the story maybe  
  
dark (though I'll try not to do it too often in this story), and some of  
  
it may be Waffy, but mostly I want it the be a fun story.  
  
So now you have been warned.  
  
Time: Several weeks after the failed wedding.  
  
Place: Nerima -the original one (we think)-  
  
" " - speech  
  
* * - thought  
  
( ) - other languages -mostly Chinese -  
  
[ ] - Panda signs  
  
Ranma combed his recently cut hair. *Aww, why'd mom have to insist on  
  
getting my hair cut it was fine the way it was.* He ran his hand down  
  
the back and along the length still going down his back. *At least it  
  
was only to make it less unruly and not for length; I don't think I  
  
could handle short hair.* He cringed at the thought.  
  
"Ranma, are you just about done in there?" a voice said in groggy  
  
agitation from the other side of the door.  
  
"I'll be out in a minute, Nabiki." Ranma combed his hair one last time  
  
then set it in a ponytail. *Geez it's way too much maintenance like  
  
this.*  
  
"You're just as bad as a girl, taking so much time in the bathroom,"  
  
Nabiki said as she slid past Ranma when he was leaving causing him to  
  
cringe slightly.  
  
"At least I have a reason to take so long in there," Ranma replied,  
  
sticking his tongue out at her.  
  
Nabiki smirked at him. "That one will cost you, Saotome." She chuckled  
  
as she started to brush her teeth then stopped when she saw her watch.  
  
"What am I doing up at this unnatural hour!?"  
  
Akane stood patiently by the front door already dressed for school,  
  
though she didn't look happy about being up so early. "Ranma, are you  
  
ready? It was your idea to get up at this time." She asked when she saw  
  
Ranma approach. "Why are we going so early anyway?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm ready." Ranma said coming to a halt in front of Akane. "I  
  
want to check on something before school."  
  
Akane's heart threatened to stop at seeing Ranma. He was dressed for  
  
school, wearing the traditional school uniform and his hair was neatly  
  
pulled back. *He looks sooo good in a uniform. The dark colour and  
  
sharp edges makes him seem stronger.*  
  
Ranma noticed her expression and got concerned about it. "Is  
  
everything all right Akane?"  
  
Akane snapped out of her stunned state. "I... I liked your hair better  
  
when it was wild . . . " she started. "But I like the ponytail more."  
  
She smiled as she grabbed his hand and led him out the main gate.  
  
"It's my mother's idea. She figures that the wild hair and the unusual  
  
clothes are some of the hindrances for me settling down." Ranma said  
  
with a frown. "Of course, having two fiancees, a crazy Chinese girl who  
  
thinks I'm her husband, and a psycho chick who wants to date and do  
  
other horrible things to me, isn't a bit of a hindrance at all." Ranma  
  
looked to the sky. "And that isn't even listing my problems as a girl!"  
  
"At least you've reduced it to only two fiancees, you used to say  
  
three," Akane pointed out plainly, then under her breath she added.  
  
"It's still one too many."  
  
Ranma smiled to himself having heard the mumbled addition from Akane,  
  
then took the lead, "Yeah, well today I'm going to change all that!"  
  
and he started to walk toward the market area of town.  
  
----------  
  
A short time later, the two were standing in front of a very  
  
disturbing little store in an area of the market area not usually  
  
visited. Akane looked around nervously. "Ranma, I don't like the looks  
  
of this place," she said as she squeezed his hand.  
  
Ranma tried to look strong but he was just as nervous. "Don't worry,  
  
Akane, there's nothing dangerous here."  
  
Akane felt reassured even though she didn't believe him. "Um . . .  
  
where did you hear of this place?" she said as Ranma led her inside.  
  
"Gosunkugi came here last week and I sort of followed him, to see what  
  
he was up to," Ranma replied while looking over the stuff around him,  
  
thankful that he didn't know what most of it was.  
  
"Wait, hasn't he been missing for about a week Ranma?" Akane asked  
  
with concern. She may not like the guy, but people disappearing usually  
  
caused problems for her family in some way.  
  
"How could you tell?" Ranma asked, though his thoughts were of  
  
watching Gosunkugi in this store last week.  
  
"No new nails in the trees at school," Akane answered with a grin and  
  
they both laughed.  
  
"Hello, good sir," said a person coming out of a shadow near the pair  
  
which made both of them jump.  
  
"Geez, DON'T do that!" Ranma said while trying to catch his breath.  
  
"A thousand pardons, good sir, I did not mean to scare." Said the old  
  
man who replaced the shadow, looking very pleasant.  
  
"Yeah, well, you did the same thing last week!" Ranma replied, then  
  
got a look in his eyes that Akane couldn't describe. "Is it charged  
  
yet?"  
  
The old man looked Ranma over then smiled. "Ah, you've come for the  
  
Stone of Fate have you."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, cut the Yoda routine. Is it ready yet?" Ranma started to  
  
lose his patience.  
  
"What is the stone of fate?" Akane asked, getting worried over the way  
  
Ranma sounded.  
  
"The Stone of Fate is a wishing font. Anything you want can be wished  
  
for and gained, as long as you make the right wish, of course."  
  
Explained the old man with a disturbing smile.  
  
Akane looked at Ranma in shock. "What! Are you just going to try and  
  
wish your troubles away?" She decided that she had a right to be  
  
worried now, knowing that this stuff never worked the way you'd want.  
  
Ranma just smiled at Akane. "No, that would probably just send them a  
  
few blocks away and then they would come back real angry. I've learned  
  
my lessons about that one before."  
  
"So what are you planing on wishing for, your curse gone?" Akane was  
  
actually a little disappointed at this possibility, though she knew it  
  
was what Ranma really wanted. She'd never admit it she liked his female  
  
side. It was a part of him and separate at the same time, and made him  
  
whole.  
  
Ranma smiled at Akane in a lopsided way. "Well sorta, you'll just have  
  
to wait and see."  
  
The old shopkeeper smiled at the two, then motioned them toward the  
  
back. "Come along, young ones, the Stone grows eager to grant its  
  
wish." And the three moved into the back room.  
  
----------  
  
The room was impressive, with rugs of very artistic designs hanging on  
  
all the walls, pillows of colourful patterns were everywhere on the  
  
floor, and in the middle of the room was a small wooden table. The  
  
table was highly artistic with carvings all along its legs, and in the  
  
centre of the table was a blue and red stone in a yin yang pattern  
  
under a glass covering.  
  
Ranma was looking at the room as if for the first time. "Hey, this  
  
room didn't look like this last time," Ranma exclaimed then noticed the  
  
stone. "And the stone was sliver . . . "  
  
The old man just kept his smile. "The Stone reflects the person who is  
  
going to make a wish from it," he explained then looked at Akane and  
  
nodded toward her. "As for the room, that is your pretty companion's  
  
fault."  
  
Akane started getting angry, being accused of something which couldn't  
  
be her fault. "What do you mean it's my fault!?!" She of course totally  
  
missed the compliment.  
  
"The room looks arabic cause you, my dear, expect it to." The old man  
  
winked at Akane as he explained, totally unfazed by her anger. "The  
  
other boy was expecting something more in the way of Voodoo style and  
  
the room accommodated him."  
  
"Well, I like it better this way. It's a lot better than last time."  
  
Ranma shivered at the memory then noticed one of the designs on a rug.  
  
"Hey this is my fight with Saffron!" he exclaimed as he moved closer to  
  
it.  
  
"What?" Akane moved over beside Ranma to get a look at the rug.  
  
"You're right, Ranma . . . and look over at this one . . . It's of  
  
you holding me after the fight." Akane pointed to the next rug with a  
  
bit of shock.  
  
The old man peered at the rugs then at the two youngsters in his  
  
store. "Hmm, so you're the one who defeated Saffron are you . . .  
  
interesting. No wonder the Stone is so eager to grant you a wish." The  
  
old man then went over to the table and lifted the glass off of the  
  
stone. "Well, sir, come over here and take the Stone into your right  
  
hand."  
  
Ranma suddenly remembered why he was there and complied with the old  
  
man. When the stone was in Ranma's hand the old man started to explain  
  
how to use it. "Now, sir, before you wish you should know that the  
  
Stone can grant a large number of wishes at once. But, the more wishes  
  
it has to grant, the less likely of you getting exactly what you wished  
  
for." The old man tried his best to sound ominous. "Do you understand,  
  
sir?"  
  
Ranma quickly nodded obviously not listening, but Akane decided she  
  
needed clarification. "So, you mean if he makes only one wish, he'll  
  
get what he expects the wish to grant . . . but the more wishes, the  
  
more random the result?"  
  
"Yes, exactly, young lady!" The old man was happy someone here figured  
  
it out, then he turned to Ranma. "You've got a smart girl there . . .  
  
I can't figure what you would need a wish for with someone like that in  
  
you life, but to each his own. Be careful of your words."  
  
Ranma looked at Akane and smiled weakly. "Well, here goes . . . I  
  
wish myself and Akane could start our relationship all over again  
  
without my Nyanniichuan curse, or the problems caused by all my  
  
fiancees and the other misunderstandings we've had." His voice seemed  
  
to echo in the small room as he spoke his wish.  
  
Ranma felt proud of himself at his cleverness getting that all in.  
  
"There, that should do it."  
  
The old man just looked down shaking his head slowly, then looked back  
  
up at the boy. "Sorry, sir, but that was four wishes not one."  
  
"Um . . . Let me try again, ok?" Ranma asked as he started to feel  
  
weird.  
  
"Unfortunately the wishes have already been granted," the old man said  
  
in apology as Ranma started to fade out of existence.  
  
Akane was frantic, seeing Ranma fading away. "What's happening to  
  
Ranma!?!" She grabbed the old man's shirt as Ranma disappeared  
  
completely.  
  
The old man calmly pulled Akane's hands off himself. "He's gone to the  
  
world which matches his wish," he replied as he smoothed out his shirt.  
  
Akane looked stunned for a moment, then both started to cry and got  
  
angry at the same time. "Bring him back!" She screamed as she started  
  
pounding on the old man's chest in a fit.  
  
The old man caught her hands and calmly spoke to her. "Come back in  
  
one months time and the Stone will have recharged by then. You can wish  
  
him back at that time . . . if you truly want to."  
  
"A month!?! Why a month!?!" Akane said in panic. "It took only a week  
  
to recharge after Gosunkugi used it!"  
  
The old man took the girl's hysterics in stride and simply said, "The  
  
other boy only made one wish, and he is living the life he wanted." He  
  
looked to the flat grey stone which now laid of the floor. "Your friend  
  
made four wishes so it will take four times as long to recharge."  
  
Akane fell to her knees crying full out. "A month . . . what am I  
  
going do?" she said in a small voice then suddenly her face showed a  
  
lot of fear. "What am I going to tell the others!" 


	2. Chapter 1: The same old story

. . . I have no idea from this point on . . .   
  
Ranma's Wish, Chapter one  
By Felix Webster  
  
All original Ranma 1/2 Characters Copyright Rumiko Takahashi (first  
published by Shogakugan in Japan and brought over to North America by  
Viz Communications), and are used without permission.  
Please don't sue... cause I have no money.  
  
I want to thank the following people for things (like pre reading):  
Chris Stassen  
Paul Blay  
  
" " - speech  
* * - thoughts  
( ) - other languages - Chinese mostly -  
[ ] - Panda signs  
  
- The same old story. . . -  
  
The sky was doing it's best to drown the district of Nerima with a  
light but steady rain. Two figures walked down the streets of the town,  
gaining stares from those they passed. The pair were very unusual, as  
one was a handsome young man, and the other a panda. Both were carrying  
packs and had the look of hard travels in their eyes.   
  
"I'm telling you, Pop, this is a bad idea," the young man said as he  
stopped walking, turned to face the panda and cocked an eyebrow, "I  
know you and your friend made this silly agreement years ago, but you  
told me that he only had daughters, so how do you plan to pull this one  
off, huh?"  
  
The boy seemed calm enough to the onlookers. . . Calm, but crazy, he  
was talking to a panda after all, until that same panda held up a sign  
in response, [They're girls and you're a boy, so everything will] -flip-  
[work out fine]. The boy gave the panda a nasty look after reading the  
sign, "And that's your fault too!"   
  
At the sound of the accusation the panda moved into a ready stance,  
but the boy just turned back to the direction they were originally  
heading in. "Don't get worked up, Pop, I said I'd go and see this  
friend of yours, and I stand by my word," the boy stated, shaking his  
head at the panda's actions.  
  
As the two started on their way again the boy looked into the rainy  
afternoon sky, "I just hope they don't go ballistic when they find out  
about this," he said sadly to himself.  
  
The neighbourhood street was a peaceful place today, no one had a care  
in the world and all one had to was enjoy the light cleansing rain. . .  
unfortunately good things never last.   
  
-----------  
  
"YOU DID WHAT!?!"  
  
A girl's voice could be heard for blocks in every direction, scaring  
small children and animals.  
  
"Calm down, Akane. I said my friend, Genma Saotome, and I made a pact  
to unite our schools. We each agreed to engage one of our children to  
the other in marriage." Although Soun Tendo looked calm inside he was  
very excited by the postcard he held in his hand. "They'll be here  
soon."  
  
"How could you do this? Without even asking us!" Akane continued her  
rant, she crossed her arms and gave her father a stare that could melt  
titanium.  
  
Nabiki smirked at her sister's attitude, Nabiki herself thought this  
might be fun. . . or profitable, "Give it a rest, Sis. You never know  
he could very good looking and rich, right daddy?" She turned to her  
father looking for a response.  
  
Soun put a hand behind his head and laughed slightly, "I don't know,  
I've never met the boy."  
  
"WHAT!?!"  
  
The scream was so loud and full of anger it caused the boy to be  
distracted enough from trying to look for the person who had screamed  
the first time, trying to play hero, that he ran into a telephone pole.  
The panda came running up to boy and held up another sign, [Ha, caught  
you!], it then slapped its forehead was it realized the boy couldn't  
read the sign while unconscious. The panda threw the boy over its  
shoulder, then headed back on its way oblivious of the staring people.  
  
"What do you mean you've never met him!?!" Akane continued to scream,  
but not with the same volume as her throat was getting sore.  
  
"The pact was made just after Kasumi's birth, and my friend didn't  
have a child yet," Soun said never losing his calm as he was used to  
his daughter's temper.  
  
"Oh great, just great!" Akane just wouldn't give up her protests, but  
she was running out of things to say.  
  
"Akane, calm down," the eldest sister instructed very sternly. "I just  
hope he isn't too much younger than me, it could cause. . . problems,"  
Kasumi mused, sipping her tea while thinking about how to prepare for  
the house guests that were coming.   
  
"I hope he's rich and handsome, Kasumi. A bit of an age difference  
wouldn't be so bad with those things going for a person," Nabiki said  
with a devious smile.   
  
"Kasumi! Nabiki! I can't believe that you're going along with this. .  
. stupid plan!" Akane screamed, looking betrayed by her sisters.  
  
The outer door to the family house opened right after Akane's  
statement, and the sound of something very large entering came from  
that direction.  
  
"Put. Me. Down. Old man!" said a strong male voice from the same area,  
"I said I wasn't gunna run away!"  
  
"That must be Ranma!" Nabiki said as she jumped up and ran to the door  
to greet him, with her father close behind her. A few seconds later  
both came running back in a panic, followed by a large panda with a  
person over its shoulder.  
  
"Put me down, you're scaring them!" the boy yelled as he hit the panda  
in the head. The panda reached over and grabbed the boy and placed him  
down in front of itself. Soun had partially recovered by this time and  
decided he had to ask, "You wouldn't be. . ."  
  
The boy cut him off quickly, " I'm Ranma Saotome, sorry about this,"  
he said without making eye contact, and looking very depressed.  
  
Soun was ecstatic at this news, "Oh happy day, now our two schools can  
be united!" he exclaimed as he hugged Ranma with all his might.   
  
Nabiki gave Ranma a once over, she found the Chinese style red silk  
shirt and black pants an interesting choice, but it looked good on him  
she thought. She smiled at her sisters, "Well, he's handsome."   
  
Akane crossed her arms and gave a, "Humph!" and looked away in  
disgust. Kasumi just sipped her tea smiling sweetly.  
  
"Could you. . . please stop it, I. . . can't breathe!" Ranma said  
urgently, while struggling in Soun's hug.   
  
Soun gave a short laugh and then released Ranma, "Well, my boy, it's  
great to have you here," he said and gave Ranma a hard slap on the  
boy's back, causing Ranma to stumble slightly.  
  
Kasumi, who had been sitting quietly, had in fact been trying to think  
of a way to delay her father, she had a plan now and was waiting for  
the right time to act.   
  
She didn't have to wait long.   
  
Soun had just opened his mouth to introduce his daughters when Kasumi  
cut him off, "Father, before we continue this discussion I think we  
should let Ranma settle in first," she said it so sweetly, but also  
with a undertone not to be refused.  
  
"A. . . a fine idea, Kasumi. There's no reason to rush matters now  
that Ranma is here," Soun replied trying to look patient.  
  
Nabiki gave Ranma another look over. "So, you're a martial artist  
huh?" she asked with a weird look on her face. She was thinking of the  
money she could make off him if he was good.  
  
"Um. . . Yeah," Ranma replied nervously, feeling like side of beef.  
  
Nabiki chuckled slightly, she decided that there was only one way to  
find out, "You know, Akane's a martial artist too. Maybe you two should  
spar to see who's better."  
  
Akane started to growl at her sister, then got a nasty grin on her  
face, "Yeah, why don't we."  
  
Ranma didn't like the look on Akane's face, it wasn't at all friendly,  
but he figured things would be better after the ice was broken, "Um. .  
. okay."  
  
------------  
  
Ranma liked the look of the little dojo he was standing in, it had a  
loved feeling as if it was well used and well cared for. After they had  
bowed to the spirit of the dojo and then to each other, Ranma waited in  
a relaxed stance watching for Akane's attack. Akane, on the other hand,  
was getting even more mad that this boy wasn't taking her seriously.  
She clenched her hands and decided she'd teach him that he was making a  
mistake!  
  
Akane's first strike was a kick aimed at Ranma's head, but it never  
connected as Ranma leaped it in a dodge. She tried several other  
attacks, all aimed to truly hurt her opponent, but all missed as Ranma  
just moved around them.   
"Will you fight back!" Akane screamed at Ranma, "What, are you too  
weak to fight a girl?"  
  
Ranma seemed unfazed by Akane's jibe at his honour, "I thought this  
was a friendly little match?" he asked calmly.   
  
Akane spat in his direction, "Friendly! Friendly! You come here in to  
this house and force one of us to marry you, and want a friendly little  
match!?!" she screamed.  
  
Ranma moved past another of Akane's strikes confused by Akane's level  
of anger, "Hey, It's not my idea! And trust me the marriage isn't gonna  
happen anyway," he said plainly.   
  
"Damn it! Fight me!" she howled at him in a even larger fit of rage,  
then threw another kick at his head with all her strength.  
  
Ranma was tired of this fight, and Akane's anger was rubbing of on  
him, "Fine! If you want a fight you got one!" Ranma shouted back. His  
next moves were blindingly fast as he blocked the kick, then spun her  
to hit a nerve cluster in her back.   
  
Akane hopped off slightly trying to regain her balance, she was on the  
verge of issuing a scathing comment about Ranma's lack of manhood when  
she felt her legs give out. Akane realized she had lost the fight as  
she was falling toward the floor.  
  
Ranma tried to ease Akane's fall to the floor, but was rewarded by her  
trying to take his head off with her elbow. "What is your problem!"  
Ranma asked in frustration, as he stepped away.   
  
Akane was in a true panic about losing to a boy, but tried to hide it  
the best way she knew how. . . with anger. "I HATE BOYS!!" she screamed  
at him.  
  
Ranma was shocked by the pure venom in Akane's statement, but he was  
still mad at her actions. "I don't much like boys myself, but I don't  
go out of my way to try and cripple them!" he said as he walked away  
shaking his head, then looked back. "Don't worry about your legs,  
you'll get the feeling back in a few minutes."  
  
Akane sat in the middle of the dojo, "you don't understand. . ." she  
said quietly to the empty room, then started to cry.  
  
-------------  
  
*Geez, what is that girl's problem with guys!* Ranma was trying to  
decipher what might be wrong with the girl he just fought, then stopped  
with wide eyes, *She couldn't have been . . . been. . . No, that would  
have shown in her aura.*   
  
Ranma was lost in his thoughts when Kasumi stopped him. "Ranma, here  
are some towels. The furo is downstairs," she said smiling.  
  
"Ah. . ., It's okay ,Kasumi, I really don't need a bath just yet,"  
Ranma replied nervously.  
  
"You've been fi. . . sparring, and in this house you take a bath after  
you exercise," she said firmly as she put the towels in Ranma's hands  
and left.  
  
Ranma sat on the washing stool while he filled a bucket with cold  
water. *Aww man, what are they going to think when they see me?*   
He doused himself with the water, "Ack, cold!" he said shivering, then  
stepped into the hot furo. The change in his body relaxed her as the  
hot water soaked in to her form.  
  
---------  
  
*That bastard! How could he beat me!?! I've proven myself against more  
than 20 guys at a time and no one has beaten me before!* Akane was  
still fuming as she walked into the bathroom's outer area. As she  
started to strip off her gi and threw in on a pile, she totally missed  
the fact other clothes were already there. *Why'd he have to be so  
good?* She opened the furo door still in thought, and heard water  
splashing. Akane looked up quickly, dreading who she expected she  
walked in on, only to find a red-haired girl in the furo desperately  
trying to cover herself. "Oh, excuse me, I didn't realize the bath was  
in use," Akane said calmly, then she closed the door. She quietly  
dressed in her panties and gi top, then left the outer room, where she  
snapped out of her daze and ran to the living room.  
  
Ranma-chan sat back down in the furo, relaxing after the last few  
tense moments where she tried to cover herself when someone walked in.  
"Don't they know how to knock in this house!" she said in mock disgust,  
then thought about what she had seen, "Well, she does have a great  
body," she said to herself with a smirk.  
  
----------  
  
Akane ran into the house at a flat out pace, skidding to a halt in the  
living room. "There's a burglar in the bathroom!" she screamed as she  
grabbed the first large blunt object she could find, which was the  
table of course.   
  
"Akane, calm down," Kasumi said with concern about the mental state of  
her youngest sister.  
  
Nabiki rolled her eyes and asked, "Honestly, Akane, what would a  
burglar find to steal in our bathroom?"   
  
"She was taking a bath!" Akane answered with annoyance, then noticed  
that her sisters were looking past her to the doorway. She turned  
around and found the red haired girl standing in the doorway.  
  
Kasumi was the first to speak up. "Oh, hello. . . do we know you?" she  
asked trying to place the familiar face of this girl.  
  
The red haired girl looked down. "I'm Ranma Saotome, sorry about  
earlier," she said with a weak smile.  
  
Akane dropped the table in shock of what she heard the girl say,  
unfortunately for her it was right above her head. "Ouch."  
  
Nabiki ignored her sister, "If you're Ranma, who was the guy that was  
here earlier?" she asked in her best businesslike voice.  
  
"That was me too," Ranma-chan answered, then sat down across from  
Nabiki at the replaced table. "It's kinda hard to explain, but me and  
the boy you met earlier are the same person."  
  
A strange man walked into the room with Soun Tendo. "Let me explain. .  
." he started as he grabbed Ranma-chan's shirt and threw her out of the  
house, right into a koi pond that was minding its own business.  
  
The boy from earlier surfaced from the pond. "Watcha do that for,  
Pop!?!" he yelled at the man. Ranma-kun stepped out of the pond and  
started to reset his clothes, he squirmed slightly then reached into  
his shirt to pull out the Koi hidden there. "You coulda showed them in  
another way, I didn't have to get soaked to the bone!" he said as he  
looked at the fish. He then threw the fish back into the pond and ran  
back into the house.   
  
Soun turned to his daughters, who were stunned at the scene which had  
just played out before them, "This is my good friend, Genma Saotome,  
he's Ranma's father," he said as he patted Genma on the shoulder.  
  
"And a no good panda!" Ranma-kun said as he threw a bucket of water on  
his father, which initiated Genma's change.  
  
"Oh my, it's the panda from earlier," Kasumi exclaimed. The three  
sisters were caught in wide-eyed shock having seen this impossibility.   
  
"I saw it. . . but I still don't believe it," Nabiki finally was able  
to say after a few minutes of watching the boy and the panda in a  
strength struggle.  
  
Ranma-kun shifted slightly to one side causing the panda to lose its  
balance and fall away from him as he turned to the girls. "Well, Pop  
can't talk in his panda form, so I'll explain," Ranma-kun said as he  
sat down at the table again and gave his father a glare. "And he'd  
probably lie about it too."  
  
----------  
  
"We were travelling in China during school's summer break, Pop here  
had heard of this incredible, ancient training ground he wanted me to  
see," Ranma-kun started his tale as he moved his glare off of his  
father and looked at the sisters. He noticed Akane wasn't giving him  
dirty looks anymore, in fact she looked embarrassed for some reason.   
  
"Do you do this kind of travelling often?" Nabiki asked in interest.  
  
"Well, Mom only lets Pop take me on training trips during school  
breaks so mostly we had to stay in Japan. He convinced her this was  
necessary for my training," Ranma-kun explained as he thought about  
wanting to see his mother again. "Pop wanted to take me on a large  
training trip when I was little, but Mom wouldn't let him take a little  
girl away from her home for more an a month at a time, and when I  
started school he had to wait till I had time off."  
  
"So, Um, you're really a girl?" Akane asked in a small voice.  
  
"Yeah, I'm a girl," Ranma-kun replied to her question then cocked an  
eyebrow, "Why? You have a problem with girls too?"  
  
Akane just cringed at the rebuke but didn't say anything; she just sat  
there and looked away.  
  
"You were telling us how this happened," Nabiki pointed out with  
impatience.  
  
"Right, as I said we had gone to this place called 'Jusenkyo', it was  
impressive, over a hundred little springs with bamboo poles sticking  
out of them. It's supposed to be a balance training exercise, though we  
didn't know there was a consequence for falling off at the time," Ranma-  
kun paused as Soun poured hot water over her head. "While fighting, I  
slipped past Pop's defences and accidentally knocked him into a  
spring," Ranma-chan looked apologetically at her father when she said  
this, "The next I knew a huge panda came to the surface, laying face  
down in the water. I hopped down and approached the panda, cause I was  
looking for Pop, but the Guide distracted me and I slipped and landed  
in another spring." Ranma-chan couldn't help remembering she felt a  
sharp pain in her leg before it gave out, but she didn't want to  
mention it. "I felt a weird sensation through out my whole body before  
I surfaced," Ranma-chan said with a shiver, "The Guide was yelling a  
bunch of stuff at us, but I was in too much shock when I saw my body to  
listen to him. Later, when both me and Pop calmed down, the Guide  
explained how the curses worked."  
  
Nabiki looked at Genma, who had also changed back, "And you didn't  
take the time to find out about these curses before you went there?"  
she asked with obvious disgust in her voice.  
  
"I bought a travel brochure about the place," Genma said in his defence.  
  
"Yeah, but it was in Chinese!" Ranma-chan said.  
  
"It was cheaper," Genma replied back.  
  
"YOU CAN'T READ A WORD OF CHINESE!" The tears finally started to fall  
from Ranma-chan's eyes as she screamed at him. "If you'd just gave the  
brochure to me I could have seen the warning. . ." she said quietly  
through her tears, ". . . and we could be home right now with Mom."  
  
To Akane the tears on the girl's face was proof enough that it was a  
girl and not a boy, because no boy as tough as Ranma would ever cry in  
public. She quickly moved over to Ranma-chan and tried to comfort the  
girl. Ranma-chan looked at Akane in surprise, she didn't expect to be  
comforted as she was a freak, she especially didn't expect it to come  
from Akane.   
  
"Ranma. . . I'm sorry! If I knew, I would never have acted. . ." Akane  
started to apologize, but she was cut off by her father.  
  
"Saotome! You told me Ranma had a hot water curse and was a BOY!" Soun  
said while shaking Genma by the shoulders. "How did you plan to unite  
our two schools with only girls!?!"  
  
"Calm down Soun, old friend, It's not a difficulty at all," Genma said  
with a nervous smile.  
  
Soun gave his 'old friend' a glare, "If you are suggesting that I  
marry. . ."  
  
"Noooo, that isn't what I meant!" Genma answered waving his hands in  
front of himself. He paused for a moment to compose himself then he  
continued, "I asked the Guide about the Nannichuan curse and he said  
she could father children while in male form."  
  
"Are you suggesting the she marry one of us and live as a man!?!"  
Akane asked. She couldn't believe to gall of this man. "Have you even  
asked Ranma about this yet?"  
  
Genma looked uncomfortable, "My wife gave me no sons, so I have tried  
to raise Ranma as if she were that son of which I so wished for. I have  
tried to impart in her a man's sense of honour and responsibility,  
unfortunately it seems she also has developed a man's taste in  
relationships. . ."  
  
"I don't understand, what's 'a man's taste in relationships' supposed  
to mean?" Akane asked confused, as Kasumi choked on some tea and Nabiki  
gave a surprised short laugh.  
  
Ranma-chan looked into Akane's eyes. "It means, I like girls," she  
said with a weak smile.  
  
"Well, I like girls too," Akane started, then her eyes widened with  
shocked realization. "Oh. . ."  
  
"Yeah," Ranma replied to Akane's unasked question, nervously expecting  
Akane to be repulsed by her perversion.  
  
"When I . . .when I said I liked girls I didn't mean . . . mean that I  
. . . " Akane tried to explain herself.  
  
"It's okay, Akane, I understand," Ranma-chan said calmly. "Hopefully  
we can be friends at least?"  
  
"I just never thought about it, I mean I hate boys and all, but I have  
don't . . ." Akane stopped when she realized what Ranma-chan had asked,  
"You still want to be friends after all that stuff I yelled at you?"   
  
"I don't know what was done to you to make you that mad at boys, but I  
won't hold it against you as I'm a girl," Ranma-chan said as friendly  
as she could. ". . . and I could use some friends right now," she added  
quietly with another weak smile.  
  
"Of course, Ranma!" Akane said happily, "Of course I'll be your friend."  
  
Soun watched his youngest daughter and the child of his best friend,  
it was nice to see a smile on Akane's face, but he wasn't sure he liked  
Genma's idea. He looked at his friend, who looked proud of himself at  
his cleverness, and made a decision. "Genma, I'm not about to engage  
one of my daughters to another girl, even one which becomes a boy," he  
cut off Genma's protest then continued, "but I am willing to allow them  
to find out for themselves if they could live with this or not. As it  
stands both you and Ranma can stay until they make up their minds."  
  
  
A while later, after the girls asked Ranma-chan questions about what  
being a guy was like and the fathers got reacquainted, sleeping  
arrangements had to be made.  
  
"Ranma can't sleep in the same room as her father, it's just not  
right," Kasumi said after hearing Genma's ideas as to arrangements.  
  
"But we have been sharing tents on training trips for years," Genma  
stated.  
  
"Only cause it saved space in the packs, Pop," Ranma replied annoyed.  
  
"You can stay in my room with me, Ranma," Akane said with a smile,  
"I've got what used to be the guest room, and it's more then big enough  
for two people."  
  
"You sure you want to share a room with a pervert, Akane?" Ranma-chan  
asked.  
  
"You're NOT a pervert!" Akane said sternly, "Don't think of yourself  
like that!"  
  
"I was kidding, Akane. I came to terms with it a long time ago," Ranma-  
chan said with a smile.  
  
"Um, yeah. . . come on I'll show you the room," Akane said, still  
unsure about her new friend, but she wanted to make up for her earlier  
attitude as much as she could.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
Sometime later, as all were asleep, Ranma became aware. He stood up,  
and found himself in a place he couldn't completely describe. As he  
turned around he saw a scene of Ranma-chan and Akane sleeping with  
contentment in the same bed played out as if it was on a screen that  
wasn't there, "What the heck is going on!?!" he said to whatever might  
be listening.  
  
"You're living what you wished for," said a voice that came from  
beside him.  
Ranma jumped, then noticed it was the old man from the store.  
  
"Whatcha mean what I wished for!?! I didn't wish for this!" Ranma said  
in anger as he waved his hand at the image.  
  
"This is the best combination for the wishes you made," the old man  
replied calmly, "You were warned to only make one wish."  
  
"How is this even close to my wishes!?!" Ranma asked, the tension  
showing in his voice.  
  
The old man looked to the image and said, "Well, you wished to restart  
your relationship with the girl, Akane, and it has been granted.  
  
"But I also wished to have my curse gone, not to become a GIRL!" Ranma  
screamed the last word at what he saw on the screen. "Worse than that,  
she's a pervert, a . . ."  
  
"Lesbian. Well, you can't have a truly loving relationship with  
another girl if you are straight, now could you?" the old man said  
looking almost as if he was enjoying himself. "And as for your wish  
dealing with your curse, you said you wanted your 'Nyanniichuan curse'  
gone, didn't you?"  
  
"Of course I did," Ranma said, not knowing where this was going.  
  
"And it has been granted. Unfortunately, to make accommodations for your  
other wishes it had to become a Nannichuan curse." the old man replied.  
  
Ranma was too stunned to continue the conversation for some time.  
After a bit of thinking he finally had a few questions for the man, who  
was admiring the girls on the screen.  
  
"Okay, I want some answers," Ranma stated.  
  
'That is why I'm here, I will explain any question dealing with your  
wishes," the old man said, then added, "as long as it pertains with  
what has already happened."  
  
"Um, okay," Ranma replied. He didn't completely understand what the  
old man meant, but he probably figure it out soon enough. "Why don't I  
remember her life, I mean before this afternoon?"  
  
"Simple, We could have put you into her life at her birth, but that  
would take too long to show you we were granting your wishes, so we put  
you into her just before your first meeting with the person who was the  
most important part of your wishes," the old man explained, but he  
noticed Ranma had a confused look on his face, so he added, "You have  
all her memories when you are her, but when you are here you have only  
memories that you have experienced as her, or those memories brought up  
by situations she encounters."  
  
"Ah, I think I understand," Ranma started as he tried to work it out.  
"So, I will know what her past was like when it comes back to haunt  
her?"  
  
"Pretty much," the old man replied with a touch of humour.  
  
"Okay, I leave that one for another time. . . what I'd like to know  
now is why she doesn't look like me?" Ranma said pointing at the screen.  
  
"I don't know what you mean, she looks just like you," the old man  
answered with a touch of confusion.  
  
"Oh, lets start with the body. She's taller than my cursed form, and  
she's got smaller, um, breasts." He started his point boldly until that  
last part of his statement.  
  
"Well, for one thing she is not your cursed form. She has grown up a  
girl, and through extensive training before and during puberty she has  
developed to what you see there," the old man pointed out one of the  
sleeping forms.  
  
"But that doesn't explain the breasts, I mean they're smaller than  
Akane's!" Ranma realized he should be having problems with his  
annoyance with this fact, but right now he just wanted answers.  
  
"Body fat is one of the things which adds to breast size, that girl  
has very little extra body fat to help breast production," the old man  
said while admiring the image of the girl he was describing.  
  
"Um, that makes sense, I guess." Ranma would have to think about that  
one later, he had other questions. "Why is her hair short and spiky,  
and no pigtail?"  
  
"I can't explain that one just yet, it will become evident later." The  
old man looked at an watch he could only see. "any other questions"  
  
"Yeah, a couple. She said that she had only been on training missions  
during school breaks. . . has she been living with her mother?. . .is  
she as good as I was at that point?" Ranma asked.  
  
"Yes, as stated earlier you mother wouldn't let your father take a  
little girl on extended training trips. Your father did convince your  
mother that some training trips were necessary to improve the girl's  
skills," the old man answered.  
  
"What about her skills?" Ranma wanted to know the trade-off to staying  
home with his mother vs. the 10 years with his father.  
  
"She is very close to your level of skill. Minus one specific style,  
but that is only because she was trying so hard to prove herself to her  
father, who wanted a son more that anything else in the world," the old  
man answered. Though he looked disappointed about something Ranma  
couldn't figure out. "Some people don't know when they have a good  
thing."  
  
"I can understand her reasons for trying so hard, I have been doing  
the same thing since the curse. . . to prove to myself, as well as Pop,  
that I was still the man I was," Ranma said depressed. "I don't think I  
would have improved so much in such a short time otherwise."  
  
"That's a good realization, a very mature one." The old man looked  
proud at Ranma's statement. "We have little time left, is there  
anything else you want to know?"  
  
"Um, yeah. . . is Akane. . . a. . .," Ranma tried to ask but he  
couldn't get the question out for fear of what it might mean in his  
other life.  
  
"No, she not a lesbian if that is what you wanted to know," the old  
man answered knowing that this question was coming. " We did nothing to  
alter her as it wasn't needed to grant the wishes. And before you ask,  
yes she would have attacked you like that if you had showed up as a guy  
the first time you met. She is a high-spirited young girl by nature who  
had some very bad experiences with boys at a very vulnerable time of  
her life, she had her freedom of choice taken away for her and you were  
just too much better than her for her ego to take."  
  
"I would probably have had an easier time with her if I just was a  
little more offensive when I sparred with her, but I can't hit a girl  
without a damn good reason," Ranma said sadly, "I guess I don't have  
that problem anymore either."  
  
"Well, you've made some very impressive realizations tonight, sir, but  
it is time for you to go back in to that Ranma there," the old man said  
pointing to the girl on the screen who was moving as if she was about  
to wake up.  
  
For Ranma the little world of blue faded way and he stopped being just  
himself.  
  
Ranma-chan woke up slowly trying desperately to hold on to her dream.  
She knew it was important but it slipped away from her mental grip like  
the sands it was made up of.  
____________  
  
Next up: The first day of school is always hell. . .  



	3. Chapter 2: The first day of school is al...

. . . I have no idea from this point on . . .   
  
Ranma's Wish, Chapter two  
By Felix Webster  
  
All original Ranma ½ Characters Copyright Rumiko Takahashi (first  
published by Shogakugan in Japan and brought over to North America by  
Viz Communications), and are used without permission.  
Please don't sue . . . cause I have no money.  
  
Special thanks to my pre readers  
Chris Stassen  
Paul Blay (sorry about the spelling mistake in the last two pieces)  
  
" " - speech  
* * - thoughts  
( ) - other languages - Chinese mostly -  
[ ] - Panda signs  
  
-The first day of school is always hell . . . -  
  
Ranma-chan woke up slowly, desperately trying to hold on to her  
dream. She knew it was important but it slipped away from her mental  
grip like the sands it was made up of.  
  
As she slowly opened her eyes the morning sun made her close them  
again quickly. *Damn, why'd Mom leave the curtains open,* she thought  
in a groggy haze of near sleep. She decided to stretch her arms, but  
bumped into someone beside her. *Oops, guess I'm not home. I guess I  
better get Pop up for training now,* she thought, as she smiled to  
herself. She reached over and shook the body beside her and was  
rewarded with a 'Hmmmph' from the sleeping form, but it was defiantly  
not male.  
  
Ranma-chan sat up suddenly totally awake, not knowing why she was in  
this room. She looked over to the unfamiliar sleeping girl beside her  
and slowly recognized Akane from the night before. Realizing where  
she was caused her to relax, though she knew she had to get up for  
her daily training with her father.  
  
She got out of bed and changed from her pajamas to her gi as quietly  
as she could, so not to wake her new friend. As she was about to  
leave the room she turned and crouched down to take a look at the  
girl she had just slept with. *The guys back at school would have  
killed for a chance like this,* she thought with a chuckle. "Lucky  
for you I'm a gentleman, even if I am a lady," she said in a soft  
whisper.  
  
  
----------  
  
There was some kind of noise coming from outside the house and it  
caused Akane to wake up badly. She sat up and looked at the clock on  
her desk, as far as she was concerned it read way too early for her  
sleepy mind's liking.   
  
"Ranma, you up?" she asked as groggy haze. When she didn't get a  
response she looked over to the other side of the bed, only to find  
it empty. "She must of gone to the bathroom," Akane said to herself.   
The sounds came again and this time she suddenly became worried that  
someone was attacking her new friend. She bolted out of her bed and  
ran toward the living room. She reached the door to the backyard and  
witnessed a sight that left her so stunned that she slumped to her  
knees.  
  
"Okay Ranma, this time I'm not going easy on you!" Genma yelled at  
his daughter. Although it sounded very serious he said it with a wide  
grin on his face.  
  
"It's the way I like it, Pop!" Ranma-chan shouted back in a happy  
sounding voice.  
  
They both leapt into the air and started sparring while they hung  
there defying gravity. Akane watched, shocked by the skill she was  
watching. "Wow, where'd they learn to do that?" she said to herself.  
  
Ranma-chan landed near where Akane was watching as they broke apart.  
Ranma-chan turned and smiled at her new friend, "Hey, Akane, you're  
up!"  
  
"Um. . .yeah," Akane replied. "What are you two doing?" she asked in  
confusion.  
  
"We're training," Ranma-chan answered as she dodged a strike from  
her father. "Why don't you get your gi on and join us?" Ranma-chan  
asked as she threw a series of kicks back at her father.   
  
Akane watched as Genma blocked all of the kicks and leap away from  
his opponent. "Do you have any idea what time it is, Ranma?"  
  
"Yeah, so?" Ranma replied as she leapt at her father and launched  
her next attack. Genma was ready for the move though, and launched  
his own surprise counter-attack. The next thing Ranma-chan knew she  
was flying backwards, so she righted herself and fell right into the  
pond.  
  
"Good one, Pop!" Ranma-kun said in praise, then noticed his voice  
had changed. "Oh great! I guess a bath won't hurt me now that I'm  
already wet," he said as stepped out of the pond and reset his gi.   
  
Akane suddenly flashed red with anger at seeing a boy in her yard.  
She had to calm herself down, reminding herself that the boy in front  
of her was a girl with an bad curse. She turned back into the house  
only to find both of her sisters standing there also watching the  
combatants.  
  
"You know, she's a really great looking guy," Nabiki said to Kasumi  
with her patented devious smile.  
  
"Yes, she is. I better set the bath for the day since it looks like  
she'll need it." Kasumi walk off seemingly unfazed by what she had  
watched.  
  
"That's enough for today, Pop. I'm gonna need get ready now," Ranma-  
kun said as he turned to his father. "You want to join me, Akane?" he  
asked over his shoulder as he turned to walk toward the bathroom.  
  
"What!?!" Akane said in pure shock. Having had years of experience  
with her sister, Nabiki, she noticed Ranma-kun had nothing devious in  
his face. "Um. . . okay," she said in a small voice.  
  
----------  
  
Ranma-chan and Akane relaxed in the furo facing each other. Akane  
was surprised at how comfortable she was at that moment. "Ranma?" she  
started as she realized she was very curious about her new friend and  
the bath was the most private place they were going to find in the  
house.  
  
"Yeah, Akane?" Ranma-chan replied, her eyes were closed with  
contentment as her body soaked in the heat.  
  
"How'd you know?" Akane asked straight out. She hoped she hadn't  
insulted her friend by being so bold, but she had to know.  
  
"Know what?" Ranma-chan replied without opening her eyes. She knew  
what Akane was asking, but she also knew Akane needed to word it in a  
way she was comfortable with if she was ever to understand the answer.  
  
"Um. . . That you're, um. . . That you like girls in that way?"  
Akane may have stumbled when she started her question, but she  
finally got it out.  
  
"How do you know you're not?" Ranma-chan countered with a devious  
smile.  
  
"What!?! I. . . Ah. . . I just know!" Akane was caught off guard and  
replied quickly with an answer even she wasn't totally sure of. To be  
honest she had never really thought about it before, even though many  
people at school had accused her of it.  
  
"I'm just kidding, Akane," Ranma-chan said with a chuckle, and reach  
farther across the furo to pat Akane's hand. "I've been around guys a  
lot in the last few years. You see, Pop has a job as Phys. Ed.  
Instructor at an all boy's school near our home. He talked Mom into  
letting me go there as it had a better curriculum than the regular  
school, and 'cause tuition was free for the kids of Instructors,"  
Ranma-chan related evenly as if it was the most natural thing in the  
world.  
  
"How'd they let you get away with it?" Akane asked with a lot of  
interest. She couldn't believe an all boys school would allow that,  
even for an instructor's child.  
  
"Basically, I bound my breasts and acted like one of those boys who  
hadn't developed yet," Ranma-chan answered. "It's not like I've got  
much to bind," she said with obvious disgust.  
  
"Don't say that, Ranma, you've got great breasts!" Akane said in her  
friends defence.  
  
"Thanks Akane, but they're not as great as yours," Ranma-chan said  
with sly smile on her face.  
  
"Thanks. . . Wait! We are NOT having this conversation!" Akane said  
with obvious strain in her voice.  
  
"Sorry Akane, I couldn't resist," Ranma-chan said with a chuckle.  
"To get back to answering your question, I was around guys every  
school day and I never felt anything but friendship for any of them.  
I really didn't think much about it for a long time, till I realized  
I was admiring the girls with my friends when they girl watched, for  
the same reasons they were. . . I found girls sexy." Ranma-chan  
waited for Akane to show some repulsion with concealed nervousness.  
  
"So you found other girls sexy, a lot of girls do without being that  
way," Akane said calmly. She decided Ranma-chan's life choice was  
mostly based on not having other girls around to be able to tell her  
it was normal.  
  
"Yeah, well, there's more to it than that. . ." Ranma-chan started.  
She knew the usual arguments, her own mother had made most of them.  
She knew what she was, and she had come to terms with it already.  
  
"Okay then I have a question for you," Akane said. "How come you  
haven't made a pass at me then?" Akane was more nervous about what  
the answer was going to be then she thought she should be.  
  
"Who says I haven't, " Ranma-chan said with a straight face, still  
relaxing with her eyes closed. "We slept together last night, and  
we're bathing together in the nude. I'd say those were pretty big  
passes, wouldn't you?" Ranma-chan put a playful smile on her face as  
she said that.  
  
Akane started to get self-conscious at what Ranma-chan had just  
suggested, then she realized there was a few problems with what was  
said. "Ranma, you wouldn't agree to sleep in the same bed with me  
until I suggested we use separate blankets," Akane pointed out. "And  
you acted more than a little shy when I asked you to wash my back a  
few minutes ago."  
  
"I didn't want to scare you off, I don't have many friends, and even  
less who are girls,"Ranma-chan said with embarrassment.  
  
"Why not?" Akane asked with concern.  
  
"Well, I couldn't exactly get close to my fellow classmates for fear  
they would find out that I was actually a girl," Ranma-chan replied  
to the question. "And the few girls I knew either tried to use me to  
meet the other guys at my school , or tried to date me which would  
have blown my cover," she added in a depressed tone.  
  
"Well, that won't happen here," Akane said firmly. "I'll introduce  
you to my friends, they're nice girls, and you'll see things will be  
different."  
  
"Yeah, sure, till it rains on me and I become a guy, then I'll be  
the freak of Nerima." Ranma-chan was depressed at her own words, but  
put on a fake smile to make it look like she was making a joke. Akane  
wasn't fooled.  
  
----------  
  
A while later the entire family was at the table beginning their  
breakfast. Akane was thinking of a way of introducing Ranma-chan and  
her curse to her friends, so she almost missed what the two guests  
started to do.  
  
"Are you ready, girl?" Genma asked with his chopsticks poised in the  
ready position.  
  
"Anytime you are, Pop!" Ranma-chan replied mimicking her father's  
move.  
  
"Right, GO!" Genma said loudly as he struck out with his hands at  
the food. Then both Saotomes attacked the food in a blinding display  
of speed. It was almost impossible to see their hands as the food  
disappeared. They both stopped when there was nothing left in their  
bowls or the area surrounding them. "Excellent breakfast, Kasumi,"  
Genma said as he sat back patting his stomach.  
  
"Yeah, great food," Ranma-chan added. She noticed the stunned look  
on the others faces and became a little embarrassed. "Me and Pop do  
that when we're on training trips. Pop says it builds speed and lets  
us get back to training faster," she explained. "Mom won't let us do  
that at home cause she says it's too unlady-like, even from me."  
  
"My, what energetic eaters," Kasumi said wondering if they had even  
tasted her cooking or were being polite.  
  
"Yes, Kasumi, and we're big eaters too," Genma replied back with a  
wink.  
  
"I'll remember that." Kasumi started thinking of the increased  
amount of food she'd have to cook and cringed inside, though outwards  
she gave a sweet smile.  
  
----------  
  
"Are you going to wear that, Ranma?" Akane asked as she watched  
Ranma-chan put back on her red Chinese shirt and the black pants that  
went with them.  
  
"Yeah, kinda have to. I can't wear a dress in case I change forms,"  
Ranma-chan answered as she smoothed out the shirt's wrinkles. "And my  
boy's uniform won't fit in my male form even though it was baggy to  
hide my curves."  
  
"Well, I hope they don't give you too much of a hard time about it  
at school." Akane grabbed her bag and headed for the door, "I'll wait  
for you downstairs. Don't be too long cause I don't want to be late,"  
Akane said as she left the room.  
  
A few minutes later Ranma-chan was leaving Akane's room when Nabiki  
met her at the door. "Ranma, I usually don't give out information for  
free, but this time I'm making an exception," Nabiki said with her  
usual calmness.  
  
"Yeah, what is it?" Ranma-chan asked. She knew better than to pass  
up information that could be vital for her survival, but she didn't  
trust this girl. Unfortunely it showed on her face.  
  
Nabiki took notice of the look of the wariness in Ranma-chan's  
expression and her opinion of the girl went up a notch. "Akane is  
going to be in a fight when she gets to school," She stated plainly  
and started to walk away.  
  
"What!?!" Ranma-chan couldn't believe how calm Nabiki was when she  
knew her own sister was going into battle. "Who is she gonna fight?"  
she asked with concern.  
  
Nabiki smiled at the girl over her shoulder, "I only give one  
freebie, so that information will cost you." She continued her way  
down the stairs as Ranma-chan stood there stunned.   
  
When the state of shock wore off Ranma-chan ran down the stairs  
trying to catch Nabiki. At the bottom of the stairs she almost ran  
into Akane, who had come to see what was taking so long. "Oh good,  
you're ready. Here's your bag. Come on lets go," Akane said in rapid  
fire as she grabbed Ranma-chan's arm an headed to the door.  
  
"Okay, Okay! I'm coming, " Ranma-chan said chuckling lightly. And  
the two headed to school.  
  
As the two headed down the street Ranma-chan noticed the railing and  
smiled to herself. With little effort she leapt to the railing and  
started walking along it. Akane couldn't believe that Ranma-chan  
could walk such a narrow pole. "What are you doing, Ranma?"  
  
"Balance practice," Ranma-chan replied.   
  
After they continued on for a few minutes Ranma-chan decided she  
needed to deal with what Nabiki had mentioned earlier, so she jumped  
down beside Akane again. "Akane, who you gonna fight at school?"  
  
"What!?. . . Who told you?" Akane said in total surprise.  
  
"Nabiki mentioned it to me before we left, but she wouldn't say who  
it was," Ranma-chan said thinking back to Nabiki's smile and  
shuttered. "Your sister is a. . . weird person," she added trying to  
be polite.  
  
"I'm more worried how much she charged you. . . never mind I don't  
what to know," Akane said waving off her own thoughts. "You don't  
need to bother worrying about the fight, I do this every morning and  
I really don't have much problems." Akane tried sounding unconcerned  
about the situation but Ranma-chan wasn't buying it.  
  
"Listen. . ." Ranma-chan started but never finished as he was now wet.  
  
"Oh! I'm so sorry," an old lady who was standing near by said  
quickly as she noticed she had splashed someone while watering the  
sidewalk.  
  
"It's not your fault, I should have seen it coming," Ranma-kun  
return to the woman with a bow. Akane was trying hard to suppress a  
laugh watching her annoyed friend trying to be polite. Ranma-kun on  
the other hand was now worried about school. "Oh great, now what am I  
gonna do, I can't go to school like this," Ranma-kun said to Akane  
after they had moved away from the old lady.  
  
"I'll take you to Dr. Tofu's office, it's on the way and we can get  
some hot water there," Akane replied back. Ranma-kun noticed the odd  
look in Akane's eyes as she mentioned the doctor.  
  
The pair reached the office in only a few minutes as it was indeed  
close  
to where they had been. Ranma-kun liked the look of the little  
clinic, it seemed warm and friendly. He was waiting for Akane to come  
back with the hot water that she had disappeared though a inner door  
to get. He started to hum to himself, and this caused him to miss the  
boney little hand creeping towards him. He jumped when it landed on  
his shoulder, he spun to face a tall man wearing a gi and glasses,  
carrying a skeleton. "Watcha do that for!?!" he said trying to catch  
his breath.  
  
"I'm sorry, I thought I should meet my new visitor in a fun way,"  
the man said with a smile.  
  
Ranma-kun gave the man a look that said 'you're weird' as Akane came  
back into the room carrying a kettle. "Oh Dr. Tofu. . . I see you met  
Ranma," Akane said looking down and fiddling her thumbs in  
embrassment.  
  
Ranma-kun looked at Akane, then smiled as he poured the hot water on  
herself.  
  
"Why yes, I was just introducing myself to him. . . Um, her?"  
Dr.Tofu replied, readjusting his glasses as he gave Ranma-chan  
another look. "Hmm, time to get new glasses."  
  
Ranma-chan looked depressed, she was sure the doctor would find her  
a freak. "I have a Jusenkyo curse that makes me a guy when cold water  
is poured on me," She said nervously.  
  
"Jusenkyo, you don't say, I've heard of the place but never met a  
victim before," Dr. Tofu said with a smile.  
  
"Trust me, it's not fun," Ranma-chan said weakly.  
  
"I believe that's the point of curses," Dr. Tofu stated trying to be  
helpful.  
  
"I've been confused about something, I thought you'd be happy  
becoming the son your father always wanted," Akane said to her friend  
then regretted it when she saw the look on Ranma-chan's face.  
  
"I wanted him to be proud of me as I am, a girl who was as tough as  
any son he could ever trained," Ranma-chan stated in fierce  
seriousness. "I've trained as hard as I could with the limited time  
Mom lets me go on training trip, just to prove that I'm not the  
disappointment he originally thought I was."  
  
"I'm sure your father doesn't think of you with disappointment,"  
Akane said trying to comfort Ranma-chan.  
  
"Well girls, I believe you're going to be late if you stay here any  
longer, come back later and we'll talk some more," Dr. Tofu stated.  
He still had a smile on his face as he led them to the door.  
  
----------  
  
The pair had been quiet for a couple of blocks, as the school's  
gates became visible Ranma-chan decided she should ask Akane about  
the Doctor before they got any farther. "So you really like that  
Doctor, huh?" she asked, trying hard to keep the sly grin off her  
face.  
  
"Oh yes, Dr. Tofu has been treating our family for several years  
now, he's a very good doctor," Akane replied with a dreamy look in  
her eyes.  
  
"Oh man, you've got a crush on him!" Ranma-chan said with a little  
laugh.  
  
"So what if I do!?!" Akane clenched her fists and turned on her  
friend very angry. She couldn't believe Ranma-chan could be so cruel.  
  
"Hey, hey, I was only having a little fun," Ranma-chan said smiling,  
waving her hands in front of her. "I thought you didn't like guys?"  
  
"BOYS!" Akane nearly screamed, then look at the time on the school's  
clock. She was going to be late. She decided the only way to get in  
the school on time was to pshyc herself, clenching her fists she drew  
on all the rage she could muster and started her mantra "I HATE  
BOYS!, I REALLY HATE BOYS!!" She started to run at the school  
chanting, "I HATE BOYS!" over and over.  
  
Ranma-chan followed not understanding what she was going on about  
until a mass of boys in sports gear became visible inside the school  
grounds. She watched as the boys all tried to attack Akane, and  
noticed that none of them had a chance against her friend. One by  
one, and two by two they all were knocked down by Akane's blows.  
Ranma-chan was impressed by Akane's strength and stamina, but decided  
that she still needed work in dexterity and finesse.  
  
Akane had finished in record time, she was going to make it to class  
on time after all. She stood there trying to catch her breath when  
the projectile came at her. Akane was about to catch it when a blur  
stepped in front of her. She was shocked when she saw Ranma-chan  
moved to intercept what was thrown at her.   
  
"Someone is very careless to be throwing roses around," Ranma-chan  
said in disgust.  
  
Akane looked down and put a hand to her forehead in depression.  
"Kuno," was all she could say.  
  
"As is the setting sun a moment of rare beauty, so is but a minute  
with my love, Akane Tendo," said a tall boy in kendo clothes,  
minus the armour. He walked forward with an air of pure arrogance,  
moving his bokken to point at the pair of girls in the middle of the  
destruction. "Akane Tendo, these peasants thought to win your favour  
by combat, but all pale before your skill. I alone shall rise above  
their failure and be successful, I chall. . . hello, and who are  
you?" the boy asked Ranma-chan as he finally noticed that his prey  
was being protected by another.  
  
"Are you alright, Akane?" Ranma-chan asked with concern, seeing the  
cringing that her friend was doing. "If you had told me you did your  
morning training at school I could have asked to join in, it looked  
like fun."  
  
"FUN!?!. . . wait, you think that was training?" Akane asked in  
confusion.  
  
"Yeah, of course, why else have a bunch of guys attack you?" Ranma-  
chan said as if it was obvious.  
  
"Excuse me. . ." the boy with the bokken said trying to get their  
attention.  
  
"Look, I'll explain it later, we're going to be late," Akane said  
shaking her head in disbelief. She didn't understand how Ranma-chan  
could think she would want a bunch of boys attacking her each morning.  
  
"EXCUSE ME!" The boy yelled at the top of his voice. "We are not  
done, Akane Tendo. Unless you wish to forfeit my challenge and agree  
to date with me."  
  
"Um, Akane, who's the guy with the stick?" Ranma-chan asked as she  
turned and looked at the Kendoist.  
  
"That is Upperclassman Kuno," Akane replied starting to move around  
Ranma-chan. "I don't want to date you, Kuno. Why can't you understand  
that," she said in anger.  
  
"Ah, Although your voice says no, I know the soul is willing, give  
up this facade and agree to date with me," Kuno said with a arrogant  
smile.  
  
Ranma-chan stepped between them trying to block Kuno from getting  
any closer to Akane. "Listen buddy, I don't know who you are but she  
told you to get lost," she said with a hint of anger in her voice.  
  
"Ah, I see, the vision of gracefulness before me also wishes to date  
with me," Kuno said with sneer on his face. "Though to be fair to the  
beauteous Akane Tendo you must defeat me in battle first, but be  
warned I am prepared to lose." He moved back and pointed the bokken  
in a rising motion.  
  
"There's no way I would want to date you, but if you want to  
challenge me you got it!" Ranma-chan said as she got into a ready  
stance.  
  
"Yes, a challenge it is, but first I shall have the name of the  
fiery tigress so I may know who it is I am to date," Kuno said with  
dripping arrogance.  
  
"I'm Ranma Saotome, heir to the Saotome School of Anything-Goes  
Martial Arts," Ranma-chan said proudly. "And I told you I don't want  
to date you!"   
  
"Ranma? Isn't that a boy's name, and you are most definently a girl,  
a strong looking one, but a girl none the less," Kuno said in  
confusion.  
  
"My Pop wanted a boy, you got a problem with that?" Ranma-chan said  
in annoyance.  
  
"As I have no control over your parents choice of name for you, I  
can have no reasonable problems for they would be as pointless as my  
words of comfort to you for having such a name," Kuno answered trying  
to look sagely.  
  
"Huh?" Ranma-chan looked stunned for a moment then turned to Akane.  
"Did you understand that?" she asked hoping that Akane might be able  
to tell her if she had been insulted.  
  
"Not a word of it, Ranma," Akane said. She looked just as confused  
as everyone else.  
  
"Never mind, this isn't getting us anywhere," Kuno said firmly. "I  
am the raising young star of the Kendo world, the Blue Thunder of  
Furinkin High, Tatewaki Kuno age 17." As he said his speech lightning  
flashed behind him at the most appropriate moments.  
  
Ranma-chan blinked several times then turned to Akane. "Is this guy  
for real?" she asked in disbelief.  
  
"He's always like this," Akane answered grimly. "He gets worse if  
he's trying to go out with you."  
  
"Excuse me, my twin beauties, but there is a challenge here and any  
more delays would be a slight to my honour," Kuno said calmly.  
  
"Fine, if you want to be kicked around that badly," Ranma-chan said  
as she got into stance.  
  
Kuno suddenly sprinted forward and brought his sword down in a  
lightning quick swing, Unfortunely for him Ranma-chan as already  
behind him. Ranma-chan spun on one heel as she gave Kuno a kick to  
the small of the back. Kuno stumbled a few steps but regained his  
balance quickly and turned to face his opponent, "Impressive, you are  
truly and tigress in motion."  
  
"Whatever," Ranma-chan responded as she stepped into Kuno and gave  
him several punches to his chest. She hit every vital point she could  
to end the fight quickly.   
  
Lightning flashed again.  
  
Kuno stood there looking unfazed, but he also didn't move as a light  
rain started fall on his head. Ranma-kun on the other hand dashed for  
the closest building as fast as he could and hid from the school  
population. He heard the school bells as he hunched down next to the  
gym mats. This was not a good start to his school year.  
  
----------   
  
"I can't believe we were late, it only took a minute to beat that  
wind bag," Ranma-chan in annoyance. She and Akane sat under a nice  
shady tree eating their lunch, enjoying a nice sunny afternoon.  
  
"If you hadn't changed we could have been on time, but getting you  
some hot water took some time," Akane replied to her friend  
playfully. Akane didn't mind being late this time, seeing Kuno  
getting pounded on was well worth it. "I just hope he doesn't get  
fixated on you like he did on me after the first time I beat him,"  
she said with concern.  
  
"Yeah, I still can't believe he's responsible for those morning  
attacks. I can see why you were so mad at me when I first showed up,"  
Ranma-chan said. She could understand why Akane hated boys if they  
kept attacking her for the prize of dating her. Ranma-chan, herself,  
would enjoy that kind of exercise knowing full well they would never  
come close to defeating her.  
  
"Well, Um, That wasn't the only reason and you know it. We've talked  
about it  
  
Two girls walked up to Akane, both were smiling but looked unsure of  
Ranma-chan. "Hi Akane, who's your new friend?" asked one of the girls  
who approached.  
  
"Oh hi," Akane said looking up at her old friends. "This is Ranma,  
she's. . . ah, staying with my family for a while," Akane said as  
Ranma-chan gave the girls a weak smile.  
  
"Hi, I'm Sayuri and this is Yuka," Sayuri said cheerfully as she  
pointed out her friend. "We've been friends with Akane since we were  
real little."  
  
"Yeah, and the only girls not mad at me for having most of the  
school's male population chasing me." Akane said under her breath in  
a depressed tone. She decided not to ruin the introductions so she  
looked up with a happy look on her face. No one there were fooled.  
  
"So Ranma, you transferred to this school a little late. . ." Yuka  
started to ask, trying to change the mood.  
  
"Um, yeah, Me and Pop got back from our trip to China a little later  
then we expected," Ranma-chan replied. She tried to smile but it was  
still weak.  
  
"You went to China? Wow how exciting, I never get to go  
anywhere,"Sayuri stated looking jealous.  
  
"Yeah well, it's a trip I wish I had missed," Ranma-chan said in  
depression. "It was a very bad idea from the beginning, and it kept  
getting worse."  
  
"Why, what happened?" Yuka asked in interest.  
  
Akane decided that there had been enough questions and directed her  
friends up and away from Ranma-chan, "I'll be right back, Ranma."  
When she got far enough away from Ranma-chan's hearing she turned to  
her other friends. "Look, Ranma has had it rough the last few months,  
could you two please not ask about China for awhile?" Akane asked  
almost pleading.  
  
"Why? I don't understand. . ." Sayuri started looking confused then  
she went wide-eyed and whispered, " wait you don't mean. . ."  
  
Akane started waving her hands in front of herself, and a large  
sweat bead on her forehead, "No, no. . . nothing like that." Akane  
was having problem figuring out how to approach this subject. "Look,  
why don't you come over tomorrow night and I'll try to convince Ranma  
to explain. . . but you have to promise not to treat her like a  
freak, ok?" she asked quickly.  
  
"Um, okay Akane, we'll come over, " Sayuri said as Yuka nodded in  
agreement. They both took their leave discussing what Akane was  
hiding about Ranma-chan that could make them think she was a freak.  
  
"So, your friends don't like me do they?" Ranma-chan asked Akane  
when she got back.  
  
"No, nothing like that," Akane replied quickly. "Look Ranma, they  
want to be your friend, but I think they should know about your curse  
first."  
  
"Oh yeah that would help things," Ranma-chan said sarcastically.  
"When they run away screaming don't forget I warned you."  
  
"I won't be that bad," Akane scolded her friend. "Look, I was able  
to accept you and I know them, they will too."  
  
Ranma-chan still didn't like it but she trusted Akane, "So when do  
you want to show them?"  
  
"Tomorrow night, I invited them to a sleep over," Akane replied as  
she continued her meal.  
  
"That soon," Ranma-chan said quietly with a cringe.  
  
-----------  
  
"Nabiki Tendo, I want you," Kuno said as he stood with his shadow  
overlapping the girl in question.  
  
"Oh Kuno, I had no idea. . ." Nabiki replied with both hands to the  
sides of her face which gave a faux blush. The other girls around her  
made giggling sounds.  
  
"NOT like that, Nabiki Tendo," Kuno said quickly. "I have no  
interest in you."  
  
Nabiki stood up giggling, "I know Kuno." She dusted herself off and  
straightened her skirt. "Couldn't you wait until tomorrow when we  
usually meet?" she ask in annoyance as she didn't have his pictures  
on her at the moment. Her last statement evoked the other girls to  
start whispering amongst themselves as Nabiki led Kuno away.  
  
"I wish information about a beautiful red-haired vixen that I  
understand is staying at your house," Kuno said trying to be his most  
noble in stance and attitude. Inside he was all in turmoil over this  
new girl in his life.  
  
"You mean Ranma?" Nabiki asked innocently, she could see yen signs  
starting to dance around Kuno's head.  
  
"Yes, that was what she said her name was, it's such an odd name for  
such a beautiful girl, I. . ." Kuno replied, starting to go into one  
of his rants.  
  
Nabiki put a stop to it quickly for her own sanity's sake, "What do  
you want to know Kuno, and remember it'll cost you."  
  
"Add it to what you'll charge me tomorrow. I wish to know as much as  
you know," Kuno responded, he knew how Nabiki usually did business. "  
I wish to know her likes and dislikes, and all the usual things a man  
could use to date such a creature of wonder."  
  
"Um, listen Kuno. . . how about we hold off a bit on this, I. . .  
um, need time to find out more about her. She only came to our house  
last night," Nabiki said stumbling over her words. She just had a  
very unusual reaction, she was actually concerned about siccing this  
loon on a girl her hardly knew. She suddenly felt protective of Ranma-  
chan and she didn't like the feeling.  
  
"I am willing to wait, but not long. Gather you information and have  
it ready soon, I will pay you handsomely for all you can give me,"  
Kuno stated. He had a hard time believing what he was seeing, Nabiki  
Tendo, a girl who would sell her own sister, was having a moral  
dilemma about a girl she hardly knew. Even he was able to see it on  
her face, and he knew he could be more than a little dense  
sometimes, he usually hid it with arrogance to fool the peasants.  
  
Nabiki got herself under control again, then she decided to find out  
if she had lost her regular income from him,"Um, okay. Are you giving  
up on my sister?"  
  
Kuno stopped for a moment. "Your sister. . ." he said in a small  
voice. Images of Akane started to flash into his mind of his first  
love, each one pushed him closer and closer to the edge. "NO! Of  
course I haven't stopped loving your sister, bring yourself to the  
usual meeting place tomorrow," he said in a bold voice as he turned  
and walked away.  
  
Nabiki watched him leave, she just shook his head and thought,  
*IDIOT!* Then she smiled and said in a quiet voice, "But a rich  
idiot."  
  
----------  
  
School was just letting out and many students were making their  
escape as quickly as humanly possible, one of the students had no  
intention of leaving and was standing at the main gates as if a  
guardian.   
  
Kuno watched the crowd coming out of the buildings, searching for  
his target. He moved his eyes over the people and almost missed Akane  
as she and an unknown boy were coming out of the main building. Not  
seeing his fiery tigress he decided to deal with this cur that had  
the gall to walk with his woman.  
  
Akane was still giggling as Ranma-kun was resetting his clothes,  
they had been coming down the stairs as a bucket of the janitors  
mopping water had been knocked over. Luckily no one else was around,  
mostly due to the fact both girls had been late getting out.  
"You know you wouldn't have been in the right place at the right  
time for that one if you hadn't had that argument with the teacher,"  
Akane said as she wiped away tears of laughter from her eyes.  
  
"But she was wrong on her pronunciation of that word, it was 'hair'  
not 'hear'," Ranma-kun said in annoyance. "Besides the water would  
have waited for me, it always does."  
  
"So, how do you know so much about languages? First you say you know  
Chinese, and now I find out you are almost fluent in American  
english," Akane said in amazement.  
  
"British," Ranma-kun corrected. "Mom sorta demanded I learn other  
languages. I learned Chinese cause Pop warned me that we'd be going  
to China as soon as he could convince Mom, as for english. . . that  
was Mom's idea."   
  
"Why?" Akane said in agitation. She hated when Ranma-kun stopped  
explaining in the middle of an answer. She was starting to think that  
Ranma-kun was doing it for dramatic pause, but it was driving her  
nuts.  
  
"Mom knew I wasn't gonna be a traditional girl and she figured I'd  
probably go into the business world some day, she didn't think I  
would bother running a dojo. So she sent me to a tutor to learn  
English so I could deal with the business world," Ranma-kun said in  
long explanation. "She never had much confidence in Pop being a good  
teacher of the Arts, she changed her mind a couple of years ago so  
she doesn't bug me about all the time I spend training anymore."  
  
"She wanted you to become another Nabiki?" Akane said with a shiver.  
"One of her is enough!" Akane still didn't understand one thing,  
"Why 'British' and not 'American' english?"  
  
"The tutor Mom sent me to was British and she taught me what she  
called 'Proper English'," Ranma-kun finished her explanation.  
  
"Okay," Akane said with a shrug. "So you wanted to get a snack  
before going home?"  
  
"YOU THERE CUR! GET YOUR HAND AWAY FROM AKANE TENDO!!!!!" came a  
bellow from the direction the school gates.  
  
Akane hung her head and placed a hand to her forehead in support,  
"Kuno."  
  
All the students who were leaving turned to look at what Kuno was  
yelling at. What they saw was almost as amazing to them as it was  
maddening to Kuno. There was a boy with Akane, he was carrying her  
bag, and they were holding HANDS!. The rumours started instantly.  
  
Kuno came running up to the pair in a rage. "I said Get. Your. Hand.  
Away. From. Akane. Tendo!" he punctuated each word as he drew his  
bokken and pointed it at the unknown boy.  
  
"Calm down Kuno," Ranma-kun said in reply. He shifted the bags off  
his shoulders in a smooth motion.  
  
"That's Upperclassman Kuno to you!" Kuno said in his usual  
arrogance. "And exactly how did you know my name?" Kuno added. Ranma-  
kun was about to say something but Kuno cut him off, "No doubt you  
had heard of my magifiance. My fame as the raising star of the Kendo  
world proceeds me."  
  
"You are so full of yourself!" Ranma-kun said fully annoyed. He was  
getting angry at the idiot in front of him, wasn't one defeat in a  
day enough for this guy? He let go of Akane's hand and gave her the  
bags without saying another word, then he got into stance.  
  
Kuno couldn't remember where he had seen that form before, but he  
had and it was recently. "I have no mercy for those who push  
themselves unwantedly on young girls," Kuno said trying to sound  
noble.  
  
"So you must not like yourself much then?" Ranma-kun said with a  
cocky smile. He launched his attack first to throw off the Kendoist's  
stride.  
  
Kuno saw it coming and parried it with his bokken, then struck out  
in a thrust attack. "You jest at the moment of your own demise?"  
  
The two continued for many attacks and counter-attacks, mostly it  
was Ranma-kun dodging the ever increasing speed of Kuno's bokken.  
Ranma-kun moved to the side as one downward swing came in stronger  
than the others, it hit the school wall and left a crevice large  
enough for several students to walk through. He saw another swing  
coming from the side. Ranma-kun dodged the blade with ease, but the  
air pressure left him feeling like one of his father's punches had  
gotten through his defences. He couldn't believe that Kuno had this  
much skill, their earlier fight went way too easy compared to this.  
"Ok, no more jokes," Ranma-kun said calmly, all mirth had left him.  
He started a new fighting pattern designed to move around a weapon  
and to strike his opponent multiple times in vital locations.  
  
Kuno blocked many of his opponent's attacks and dodged a few more,  
but too many got through and his arms and legs had gone numb. It was  
a familiar sensation. He was starting to fall to the ground when his  
weight was suddenly supported by the boy, then put gently to the  
ground. Who ever the cur was he had a sense of honour that Kuno could  
have respected if it wasn't for the boy's advances on Kuno's love,  
Akane.  
  
"You just lay there for a while, you'll get the feeling back in  
about an hour," Ranma-kun informed the Kendoist after placing him on  
the ground. He moved back and grabbed Akane's hand then started to  
pull her out of the schoolyard, "Come on Akane, let's get out of  
here."  
  
Akane had been too wrapped up in the fight, seeing again how smooth  
and graceful all Ranma-kun's movement's were, that she didn't even  
realize the fight was over. She really wanted to be able to fight  
like that. Then she was snapped out of it when Ranma-kun grabbed her  
hand and started pulling her out the main gates.  
  
----------   
  
The two sat in Dr. Tofu's examination room, waiting for the Doctor  
to come back with some hot water. Ranma-kun looked around the room  
for a minute or so then turned back to Akane, "Is Dr.Tufo a general  
practioner?"  
  
"Well, he specializes in Chiropractic and herbal medicines but he  
also does general medicine for some families," Akane answered as she  
watched the door eagerly. "We use to come to him for everything."  
  
"Yes, until a couple of years ago I handled all the Tendo's medical  
concerns, but the girls grew up a bit and became uncomfortable a man  
checking some things," Dr.Tofu offered with a smile as he came into  
the room with a kettle.  
  
Akane blushed and turned her head away as he mentioned the last  
part. Ranma-kun giggled at his friend's shyness, then poured the  
water on herself. She came to a decision and looked up at the Doctor,  
"I glad to hear you handle all medical concerns. I need a doctor for  
womanly check ups, and I would feel more comfortable with you doing  
those since you know about the curse. If you are willing to take on a  
new patient."  
  
Akane looked at her friend a little shocked by how easily Ranma-chan  
could discuss such things with a man. She, herself, stopped coming to  
Dr.Tofu out of embrassment of having a man even coming close to  
looking there, especially someone she really liked.  
  
Dr.Tofu sat down and took on a professional appearance, "I don't see  
why not. It would be interesting to see what your curse has done to  
your development, but most girls your age prefer a woman doctor to  
deal with those concerns."  
  
"I really don't want another doctor knowing about the curse, too  
much chance that they'd use me like a test subject. And actually I  
would be more embrassed by a woman checking me down there. . . for  
personal reasons," Ranma-chan explained with a small blush of her own.  
  
Akane coughed into her hand in a knee jerk reaction to the last part  
of Ranma-chan's statement. Dr.Tofu gave Akane a curious look then  
turned back to Ranma-chan, "I'd be honoured. You know Nabiki is the  
only Tendo girl who still comes to me for those services,"  
  
"That's because you give us a cut family rate and she's more  
concerned with money than embrassment," Akane said as if it was the  
most obvious thing in the world.  
  
"So when would you like to set up an appointment?" Dr.Tofu asked in  
his professional tone.  
  
"Well I haven't had a check up since before going to China, so I  
should have one soon cause of the change in my body," Ranma-chan said  
calmly trying to make it sound as if the curse no longer bothered  
her. "How about Monday after school?   
  
"I don't have any major appointment at that time so it should be  
fine," Dr.Tofu replied.  
  
----------  
  
Unlike her new friend who fell asleep as soon as her head hit the  
pillow, Akane lay in bed unable to sleep, it had been an interesting  
day. Her new friend was surprising in so many ways. Ranma-chan could  
be very bold one moment, but also very shy the next. Her and her  
father were so very skilled yet she didn't make a big deal about it,  
as if it was just natural, she even offered to teach Akane some of  
the moves she used against Kuno.  
  
She looked over at Ranma-chan's sleeping body and sighed, *I hope  
Yuka and Sayuri don't get freaked out by her curse, she could use  
some more friends.* Akane sudden noticed that Ranma-chan was mumbling  
in her sleep, but she couldn't make out what was being said. She gave  
Ranma-chan a small kiss on the cheek and said in a quite voice, "see  
you in the morning." She then decided to just lay back and try to  
finally get some sleep and after a time sleep did catch up with her.  
  
----------  
  
Ranma found himself in the mists again, he didn't see the screen  
like last time so he moved on a bit. Finally he found what he was  
looking for, and saw Akane give a small kiss to his alternate half.  
He smiled for a moment before depression set in, "Akane would never  
do that with me."  
  
"Not with the way thing are between you two, but this Akane was just  
giving a kiss to her friend in comfort," said an unfamiliar voice  
behind him.  
  
Ranma spun as fast as he could to face the owner of the voice, only  
to find a woman standing there. She looked a little like Kasumi, or  
even Akane, but older. "Um, who're you? And where's the old man?"  
Ranma asked in confusion.  
  
"We decided that you should meet some of the others," the woman  
replied sweetly. "Don't worry I can answer you questions just as  
easily as he could."  
  
"Um, okay," Ranma responded, then turned back to the screen. "It was  
a busy day wasn't it," he said to himself as he looked at the  
sleeping girls.  
  
Ranma turned away from the screen after a few moments and looked at  
the woman again, "Okay, I guess I should start while I can. Me and  
Pop seem to have a better relationship. . . why?"  
  
The woman smiled at Ranma, "You and your father weren't on the road  
alone as much, and he couldn't bring himself to teach you any  
insanely stupid styles. He also tried to make the time you two spent  
together very special so you two would be closer."  
  
"He didn't teach me any of the insane styles. . . you mean like the  
Neko-ken?" Ranma asked in amazement. "Yeah I guess we would have a  
better relationship then, that training was when I first started to  
realize he cared more about training me than about me."  
  
"That was a very impressive realization for a 6 year old to make,"  
the woman stated calmly. "He couldn't bring himself to do that to a  
little girl, and he was also worried what your mother would do to him  
if she found out," she continued looking annoyed about something.  
  
"I can understand that. I'm more shocked he actually was working,  
even if it was as a Phys. Ed. Instructor. . . doesn't that require a  
college degree?" Ranma asked as he realized some things didn't add up.  
  
"Your mother pushed him into getting a degree saying if he was ever  
going to be taken seriously as a dojo master he was going to have one  
to prove he had the skills to teach," she said proudly then added  
with a hint of sadness, "I wish someone else could have seen things  
that way, but some people are more stubborn then others."  
  
"You don't need a piece of paper to prove you can teach, " Ranma  
said in annoyance.  
  
"You do if you want to get a loan to start a dojo, " the woman  
responded. "But he didn't really want a dojo, he just wanted to make  
your mother happy. She's the one who convinced him to take a teaching  
job."  
  
"Trying to make mom happy? That doesn't sound like the Pop I know,  
but I guess having to spend so much time with her changed him too,"  
Ranma said with a smile. "Not that I'm complaining," he added quickly.  
  
"Okay, it seems like I'm going to have the same problems with Kuno,  
but I guess I should have expected that," Ranma said to himself.  
"Akane has always been happy to hide my curse from other people,  
mostly out of embrassment about being engaged to a freak, why is she  
trying to tell her best friends about it here?" he asked in  
confusement.  
  
"She isn't so much embrassed about it as she's embrassed about how  
she feels about it. Here she wants you to have as many friends as you  
can so you don't feel like such a outsider like you described your  
life was like before," the woman said with pride in her voice. She  
looked at the screen with a expression of longing that almost ripped  
Ranma's heart out in concern. "She does love you, you know."  
  
"I wish I could be sure of that back home, but I guess I'll never  
find out," Ranma said, depressed by the thought of never seeing his  
Akane again. "I guess I have to make do with this version if I can."  
  
"As you've been told she is the same Akane in everyway as the one  
you already know, she's just reacting differently to different  
situations put before her," the woman reminded him of prior  
conversations.  
  
"I have a weird question. . . what womanly concerns? I mean the ones  
mentioned at Dr.Tofu's office," Ranma asked not sure if he really  
wanted an answer or not.  
  
The woman chuckled slightly, "I surprised you don't know already,  
but I'm sure you'll find out soon enough."  
  
"Um, sure," Ranma replied. He figured he wouldn't get a straight  
answer about that, but he had to ask. He turned back to the screen  
and looked at the two girls sleeping then asked, "Am I going to be  
doing this every night?"  
  
The woman moved up to stand beside him and also watched the screen,  
the look of longing was on her face again. "No, only when important  
things happen in your life which you need some answers about. The  
first little while this will happen more often as you are just  
beginning your new adventure, but as time goes on you'll come here  
less and less," the woman explained.  
  
Ranma looked over the woman and saw the happiness and the pain that  
she had on her face as she looked at the screen. "You're her mother,  
Kimiko, aren't you?" He asked as it dawned on him why she looked  
familiar.  
  
"Yes," Kimiko replied not taking her eyes off of the screen. "I'm  
sorry, I haven't seen my little one for some time and I was  
distracted," she said shaking her self out of the trance seeing Akane  
again had put her in. She looked at Ranma again and sighed, "I am  
supposed to be here to answer your questions and concerns."  
  
"Don't worry, I don't have any pressing concerns right now, why  
don't you enjoy your time and I try to stay asleep as long as  
possible," Ranma said in a comforting tone.  
  
"Thank you," Kimiko replied back as she turned back to the screen.  
"I can see why, even with all the other problems you brought with  
you, that she fell in love with you," she added as she watched her  
daughter sleeping.  
  
The two just stood there for a long time watching the screen until  
finally the world started to fade again, and Ranma felt the pull that  
he had experienced before. "I guess our time is up, I hope I can do  
this for you again," Ranma said as the misty void disappeared.  
  
  



	4. Chapter 3: Pajama Party

...I have no idea from this point on...  
[ IHNIFTPO ]  
  
Ranma's Wish, Chapter 3  
By Felix Webster ( Felix Warstar )  
[felix_webster@telus.net]  
  
All original Ranma ½ Characters Copyright Rumiko Takahashi (first  
published by Shogakugan in Japan and brought over to North America by  
Viz Communications), and are used without permission. Please don't  
sue... cause I have no money.  
  
" " - speech  
* * - thoughts  
( ) - other languages - Chinese mostly -  
[ ] - Panda signs  
  
- Pajama Party -  
  
"Sorry it couldn't be longer..." Ranma-chan murmured as she turned  
on her side away from Akane. Slowly opening her eyes she sat up  
putting a hand on her forehead as she yawned, *Man, I'm having some  
really weird dreams.*  
  
Looking over at her sleeping friend made Ranma-chan smile to  
herself, "But if I have something like that to wake up to I think I  
can handle weird dreams."  
  
Getting up she dressed quickly into her Gi and left as quietly as  
she could. She headed towards the Dojo shaking her head, "I'm really  
going to hate getting my own bed."  
  
Thinking back to why she and her father were even really there made  
the smile go away. She still wasn't sure that hiding from her mother  
was a completely wise idea, but it would keep her father alive  
longer. Sliding open the Dojo door she was surprised to find her  
father sitting in the middle of the floor wearing his suit and  
meditating.  
  
"What's up Pop? You aren't warming up?"  
  
"Ranma... We won't be sparring today," Genma opened his still red  
and bleary eyes. It was obvious that he hadn't completely gotten over  
the drinking from the night before.  
  
Ranma-chan moved over and started to check her father's scalp, "Got  
too strong of a hangover huh?"  
  
Genma shook off his daughter's examination and winced from moving  
too fast, "The hangover is besides the point girl!"  
  
"Sure," Ranma-chan replied giving her father a small kiss on his  
forehead, "So what's the problem then?"  
  
"Soun has reminded me of my duty to my family," Genma stated  
solemnly. He looked beaten mentally, "I will be going home to explain  
our new problem to your mother today."  
  
"I thought we both agreed that going home would be too dangerous  
until we find cures!?!" Ranma-chan looked worried for her father's  
safety.  
  
"Yes we did, but it would be dishonourable of me to hide like that,"  
Genma continued putting a hand up to stall his daughter's rebuke.  
"Besides, my sabbatical time is up soon and I have a job to get back  
to."  
  
"You have never given more than lip service to honour, unless mother  
says something about it," Ranma-chan replied through gritted teeth.  
She had just gotten here, just made a real friend, how could he do  
this to her!  
  
"I've tried to be a good example for you, at least in the last few  
years. . ." Genma looked wounded at Ranma-chan's stab at his honour.  
  
"Pop, when we're on the road I know you do what you have to for us  
to survive. And you've been very honourable in the last little while,  
but. . . THIS COULD GET YOU KILLED!!!"  
  
"She won't kill me... Both me and Soun hope the panda curse will be  
considered penance by her for your curse," Genma said calmly as he  
put an arm around his daughter who was hugging him in fear of losing  
him.  
  
Ranma-chan snapped her head up in shock, "But it wasn't your fault!  
I knocked you into the springs first."  
  
"And I should have noticed the change before letting you anywhere  
near me to fall into another spring," Genma replied back sadly.  
  
"I should have taken the warning in the guild book seriously!"  
  
"We both should have, but we didn't believe in magical curses,"  
Genma corrected her, "And after what my master put me through I  
should have known better."  
  
Ranma-chan snuggled into her father's embrace still very scared for  
him, "We're doing it again. We keep trying to blame ourselves for  
fate's actions."  
  
"Fate only guides you to the moment of decision, from there what you  
do is your own choice. Fate is not to blame for our decisions or  
mistakes," Genma said softly," Our being cursed is our own fault for  
disregarding all the warnings put before us."  
  
"I guess... but I have a weird feeling that things like this has  
happened to us before, and will again many times."  
  
"Nothing like this has happened to me before," Genma replied giving  
his daughter a confused look, "Were you changing into a boy before  
this and didn't tell me?"  
  
"Of course not!" Ranma-chan said with a giggle as she baby punched  
her father's cheek, "That's why it's weird."  
  
----------  
  
Nabiki laid awake having heard their guest get up awhile ago. She  
wasn't a morning person by any means but she had things on her mind  
since last night. Also Ranma-chan's father was a very noisy person in  
the morning and Nabiki didn't expect to get any more sleep if they  
started sparring.  
  
After a few minutes of quiet she got up in confusion, she padded her  
way downstairs to see what was going on. In the livingroom she heard  
loud talking coming from the Dojo so she moved quickly worried that  
Ranma-chan and the girls's father were having an argument.  
  
Nearing the Dojo she changed to a more sneaking movement as she  
peeked in. All she saw was Ranma-chan and Genma sitting on the floor  
hugging each other. Moving away from the door she could only envy the  
girl, she couldn't remember the last time her father had done that  
with her.  
  
----------  
  
Ranma-chan finally found her center again and pushed lightly away  
from her father, "Okay I guess, I'll go get packed."  
  
Genma chuckled softly as he looked at the depressed look on his  
daughters face at doing that, "You're not coming."  
  
"What?"  
  
"You are already enrolled in the local school and have made friends  
if I heard right about you and Akane having a sleep over tonight,"  
Genma tried to look serious but ended up smiling. "Your mother and I  
had planned to put you back into a regular school this year, and we  
even considered this one. You are staying with the Tendo's."  
  
"Wait a second! You two planned to send me to this school  
anyways!?!" Ranma-chan said in shock as she bolted upright.  
  
"It was one option..."  
  
"YOU WERE NEVER PLANNING TO HIDE! You knew mother would come here  
sooner or later just to check when we didn't come home!"  
  
"It's not like that," Genma replied nervously waving his hands out  
in front of himself. "I figured I would have several months to come  
up with something or find a cure before she checked here."  
  
"Idiot!" Ranma-chan bopped him on the head and stormed out of the  
Dojo.  
  
Genma gave a small smile to the leaving form of his daughter, "Just  
like her mother."  
  
---------  
  
Ranma-chan wasn't really that angry at her father, but he could have  
told her instead of letting her get scared for their lives. She may  
not have gotten along with her mother very much in the past few  
years, but not seeing her again for a long time was something she  
didn't like about the plan to hide. Now she finds out that wasn't  
going to be the situation and they really weren't hiding.  
  
Walking into the livingroom Ranma-chan flopped herself onto the  
Tendo's sofa near the TV. Looking over at Nabiki, who repositioned  
herself after being rudely bounced. Ranma-chan smiled at the older  
girl, "So you're a morning person too?"  
  
"No," Nabiki replied annoyed.  
  
"So why are you awake?"  
  
"Because some son of a. . . panda is very loud when he gets up,"  
Nabiki frowned as Ranma-chan continued to smile at her.  
  
"Don't worry about that, Pop's going home today."  
  
"What? Are you going too?" Nabiki asked seriously.  
  
"Why, Don't want me here?" Ranma-chan countered lifting an eyebrow.  
  
"It's not that," Nabiki replied quickly.  
  
"Don't worry, I'm staying. I'm already enrolled here and I can't  
really go back to my old school."  
  
"Oh good. . . Akane will be happy about that," Nabiki leaned back  
into the sofa. "Listen... I've got to talk to you about something,  
but I really don't like giving away information for free."  
  
"And if I refuse to pay?" Ranma-chan asked as she also leaned back  
into the comfort of the sofa. The smells from the kitchen making her  
hungry.  
  
"It's important."  
  
"Then I'll find out about it when it comes up. I don't listen to  
rumours much anyways." Ranma-chan said seriously but smirked.  
  
Nabiki shook her head, she was way too tired to put up a good  
offensive and she wanted the girl to know, "Fine. I think... No, I  
know Kuno has become fixated with you."  
  
"Akane warned me that he got like that with her when she beat him,"  
Ranma-chan replied shaking her head. "So is he giving up on Akane now?"  
  
"I don't think so. His twisted little mind can't make those kind of  
decisions very easily," Nabiki sounded very frosty.  
  
"So he's going to continue chasing a girl who doesn't like him, and  
start chasing a girl who can't like him that way," Ranma-chan frowned  
not liking the idea. "And he doesn't seem to like me much as a guy  
either."  
  
"About that... How much do you plan to tell him?" Nabiki asked  
trying not to look at the girl.  
  
"How much have you already sold him?" Ranma-chan countered with a  
smirk.  
  
"Moi?" Nabiki asked in faux shock then narrowed her gaze at the red  
head. "How'd you know?"  
  
"Every school has a people like you, Nabiki. They'd probably fall  
apart with out at least one," Ranma-chan chuckled as she explained.  
"Some of them can be real scum."  
  
"I haven't sold him any info yet," Nabiki crossed her arms looking  
annoyed. " I didn't feel comfortable about doing that without talking  
to you first for some reason... and that bothers me a lot."  
  
"Huh, don't know why it should," Ranma-chan replied with a shrug.  
"Tell him what you feel comfortable with, but if you make any money  
off me I want a share."  
  
Nabiki blinked at the girl in disbelief. Once again she was thrown  
off guard by the red head.  
  
"I'll let you know when you go too far," Ranma-chan gave Nabiki an  
evil smile. "You don't want to go too far."  
  
"I'm sure," Nabiki knew a threat when she heard one, but threats  
made her go into ice queen mode not scare her.  
  
"So... What are we going to do with Kuno and the 'Morning Maniacs'?"  
Ranma-chan asked turning serious.  
  
"Huh? What about them?" Nabiki replied trying to look innocent.  
  
"I'm pretty sure you had a hand in encouraging Kuno so I want your  
help getting him out of Akane's life," Ranma-chan stated firmly.  
  
"I had nothing to do with that idiotic speech," Nabiki turned away  
from the other girl's angry eyes. She was waking up more but not  
enough the counter with her own nasty gaze. "I only suggested that if  
he could beat her in 'honourable' combat she MIGHT agree to go out  
with him."  
  
"Knowing full well that he couldn't bring himself to go all out  
against a girl," the smirk came back to Ranma-chan's face.  
  
"Figured that out already, huh?"  
  
"I'm only a little slower as a boy but I had a much harder time  
against him yesterday after school," Ranma-chan turned serious again.  
  
"I didn't count on how truly twisted Kuno's mind had become. He's  
not always been so loopy... It must have been a really bad day for  
his dementia," Nabiki replied sadly. "On his good days he can even be  
charming."  
  
"You liked him didn't you?"  
  
Nabiki looked at the floor and sighed, it was way too early for this  
kinda stuff... but she felt she needed to open up, at least once in  
her life. "What's not to like, at least at a distance. He's handsome,  
rich, and easy to manipulate. In our first year he wasn't so bad with  
his dementia, but it's been going from bad to worse... And he won't  
even get help."  
  
"His getting worse is a very good reason to get him off his Akane  
fixation. Before he loses it and decides to hurt Akane," Ranma-chan's  
anger and concern were obvious even though her voice was as ice.  
  
"I guess..."  
  
"Don't guess! I know I can handle Kuno when he's full out, I might  
get some bruises but he's no real threat to me. Akane isn't ready yet."  
  
"Problem is he needs to fixate on someone or else the whole school  
is in danger," Nabiki replied very seriously.  
  
"Why don't you take him on? You seem to be able to deal with him  
already."  
  
"Won't work," Nabiki looked angry but the sadness was obvious in her  
eyes. "He considers me a 'Fallen Woman'."  
  
"What!? Why would that twisted little..." Ranma asked as a soft glow  
surrounded her barely visible. After a few seconds it died down as  
she calmed herself," Why would he think that?"  
  
"Last year he tried coming on to me. He was very sweet about it too,  
and unlike the other girls I responded in kind," Nabiki leaned back  
again and stared at the ceiling taking careful measure to restrain  
her emotions. "I should have known better... He had one of his worst  
episodes while we were on a date. I suggested something and he  
started accusing me of being a lot of very nasty things."  
  
"That little bastard!" The glow was back and getting brighter.  
  
"He snubbed me at school after that. He really doesn't remember what  
truly happened so his mind filled in the blanks to fit what he  
couldn't recall," Nabiki clenched her fist, then relaxed again. "He  
only started to even talk to me again when I became his best avenue  
to his new fixation. . . so I started gouging him in his pocket book."  
  
"Well, we have to get him fixated on someone else."  
  
"He already is. . . unfortunately it's you."  
  
"And he still says he's in love with Akane. . ." Ranma-chan twisted  
her lip in annoyance, ". . . Stupid little bastard."  
  
----------  
  
Kasumi moved away from the entrance of the kitchen with a smile on  
her lips. There was hope for her middle sister after all.  
  
----------   
  
Breakfast was nothing like the morning before. Both Genma and his  
daughter ate at a normal pace with no speed or fight. Nabiki sat  
quietly and barely touched her food, she looked lost in thought.  
Kasumi seemed happier than usual and that was hard to do. Akane  
watched both guests and wondered if things would really be alright as  
Uncle Saotome said they would be.  
  
Finishing Akane looked at her friend and motioned Ranma-chan to  
finish quickly. Ranma-chan put down her chopsticks and stood up. She  
was dressed in another Chinese shirt and pants combo that Akane  
couldn't help but wonder how the girl was going to get away with at  
school again. "I'm done."  
  
"Um okay, lets go. I don't want to be late today," Akane pulled  
Ranma-chan out the door.  
  
As soon as they came to the chain link fence Ranma-chan hopped up  
and started her balance practice, her mind seemed elsewhere. Nabiki  
took a few minutes to catch up with them which earned her a raised  
eyebrow from Akane. The three continued on their way quietly.  
  
  
As the school gates came into sight Akane sprinted forward not  
noticing Ranma-chan leave the fence and follow right behind her. The  
boys came into the open and both girls started attacking them.  
  
Akane started to notice that the idiots weren't putting up the same  
level of offensive that they normally did in the morning. Taking a  
moment to look over the battlefield she saw a red blur knocking  
several of the boys out of action causing Akane to get angry.  
  
"RANMA!?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?!" Akane screamed at the girl as she  
slammed the back of her hand into one of the boy's face.  
  
"I missed sparring with Pop this morning, I figured I could get a  
workout here," Ranma-chan ducked a hockey stick as she smiled back at  
Akane.  
  
"This is MY FIGHT!"  
  
"I know that. But you said you hated this so I'm cutting down the  
problem," Ranma-chan moved her foot up quickly and slammed it into  
another boy's jaw.  
  
Akane stood in the center of the bodies laying everywhere and looked  
at her friend in anger, "I can't believe that you don't think I can  
handle them! I've been..."  
  
Ranma-chan simply put two fingers over Akane's lips and talked as  
calmly as she could, "I know you can handle them, I've watched you do  
it, but you shouldn't have to do it alone. Friends help each other."  
  
Akane's anger drained out as she looked into the serious blue eyes  
of her friend. She was about to apologize when Ranma-chan blurred  
again.  
  
Standing two feet over and blocking Akane from the main stairs Ranma-  
chan grabbed the projectile she had seen coming. Once again it was a  
rose...  
  
"What's with that stupid stick boy!?!" she asked the heavens and was  
answered by a roll of thunder. "You don't know either huh?"  
  
"As the sky will open up to cleanse this field of fools, who thought  
to win either of the hearts of two beautiful flowers, so will the  
heavens open up to shine on the goddesses before mine eyes."  
  
"What are you going on about this time?" Ranma-chan asked as she put  
the rose into her school bag carefully.  
  
Nabiki had been whispering to her sister during this time causing  
Akane's eyes to wide. Akane moved up beside Ranma-chan and tried to  
explain, "Ranma... according to Nabiki's 'friends' Kuno has extended  
his proclamation to include you in the morning battles."  
  
Ranma-chan blinked at Akane, "You mean these idiots thought they  
could date me if..."  
  
"If they could best you in honourable combat my fiery tigress," Kuno  
finished with an arrogant smile.  
  
Ranma-chan spun on her heels to face the kendoist again, she  
scrunched up her face and drew in a large breath, "You idiot! I'm a  
LESBIAN!"  
  
"I'd be more likely to date Mrs. Shouki in Home Ec. than some  
idiotic testosterone driven boy!" Ranma-chan screamed directly into  
Kuno's face. This of course caused several reactions including an  
overweight middle-aged woman trying desperately to remind her co-  
workers that she was a happily married heterosexual woman by showing  
her wedding band and pictures of their two kids.  
  
It also caused several people to think they had conformation about  
Akane as the two seemed such good friends. These people showed their  
thoughts in some very wicked smiles.  
  
Nabiki and Akane simply slapped their foreheads.  
  
"Nay, I say nay! It is but a ruse. One to make a suitor work all  
that much harder to win the heart of such a dream!" Kuno said shaking  
his head. He moved his bokken forward and stood in a ready position.  
"Let it be known that Tatewaki Kuno accepts this challenge and any  
others, whether they be man or woman; physical or spiritual to win  
your love!"  
  
Lightning flashed, thunder rolled and everyone moved for cover  
including the two girls who were the center of attention. All but  
Kuno, still in his grand pose of a true warrior, got inside before  
the rain came.  
  
-----------  
  
The rest of the day was spent either fending off questions, hitting  
people for making rude comments, or apologizing to Home Ec. teachers.  
  
Lunch was quiet as Nabiki threatened to raise everyone's interest  
rates if they bothered either girl.  
  
Last period finished as Akane almost had to drag Ranma-chan out of  
the school to meet up with Yuka and Sayuri at the front gates.  
  
"So was that the big secret?" Yuka asked with a smile.  
  
"Ah no, I don't bother to keep that a secret." Ranma-chan replied  
waving off the question.  
  
"Oh okay," Yuka said then turned to Akane, "We'll be at your place  
by six, okay?"  
  
"Sounds good," Akane waved as her friends walked off to their homes.  
"See, you have a couple hours reprieve."  
  
"And then freakdom," Ranma-chan replied as she leaned against the  
school wall with a heavy thud. Two crows which were taking advantage  
of a small pool burst into flight in fright and spread water  
everywhere.  
  
Ranma-kun looked down at his wet form then up at the retreating  
crows and sighed in defeat as Akane giggled.  
  
Akane grabbed his hand to pull him away from the wall and head home,  
but she pulled to hard and Ranma-kun had to use her as a brace as he  
came forward too fast.  
  
"Get. Your. Hands. Off. Akane Tendo!"  
  
Both Akane and Ranma-kun groaned loudly.  
  
"I can not believe that you would try to push yourself on her two  
days in a row! I thought I taught you the error of your ways  
yesterday!" Kuno stood in a ready pose as he yelled at the other boy.  
  
"Upperclassman Kuno, who I spent time with is my choice so please  
mind your own business," Akane said as she moved slightly away from  
Ranma-kun and blushed.  
  
"I will not have this villain lay his filthy hands on such a pure  
vision of beauty," Kuno cried out indigently ignoring Akane's  
request. "I challenge you to fair combat!"  
  
"Again?" Ranma-kun dusted himself off as he stood up from the  
sitting position Akane's moving away from him had out him into.  
"You'd think one beating would be enough?"  
  
"Yes one would cur!" Kuno agreed obviously believing that he was the  
one who gave the beating and the recipient of it.  
  
"Ranma, we don't have the time. We have to get the house ready for  
tonight," Akane said trying to pull Ranma-kun away from another fight.  
  
"What's to get ready?" Ranma-kun asked then an evil smile came to  
his mouth. "Oh yeah, my futon's going to be there today so I don't  
have to sleep in your bed all the time."  
  
Akane stopped moving out of shock then she spun around in anger, "I  
thought you liked sleeping in my bed!?!"  
  
It took less then a second to realize her mistake as everyone nearby  
dropped from being earthshattering stunned, "I. . I. . I didn't mean  
it that way!"  
  
"YOU HAVE SULLIED THE BODY OF AKANE TENDO!" Kuno screamed as he  
moved at almost blinding speed towards Ranma-kun with his bokken  
swinging like a wild man.   
  
Ranma-kun barely ducked the straight cut Kuno started with then had  
to start dodging at full speed wishing he was a girl at the moment  
for the extra speed, "She isn't Sullied! We haven't done anything!"  
  
Kuno redoubled his attack as he swung at Ranma-kun time and time  
again with out showing signs of tiring anytime soon. He hit once to  
Ranma-kun's side while the boy dodging by turning around the pervious  
attack and this caused the boy to double over for a moment giving  
Kuno a good shot to Ranma-kun's neck. Ranma-kun caught the blade with  
one hand as he twisted to face Kuno, both eyes blazed in fury and a  
glow formed over him. Yanking the bokken out of Kuno's stunned hands  
Ranma-kun broke the wooden blade by twisting his fingers and glared a  
the kendoist with the power found there, "I would never hurt Akane.  
And I will not see others try to either!"  
  
Kuno stared into those eyes and stepped back slightly as fear came  
to him for a brief moment. The voice was not the boy's. . . it was  
too deep to be that of the boy coming into puberty as this boy,  
muscular and handsome as he was already, was going through. The voice  
held a boldness of power that he hadn't seen before in Ranma-kun.  
  
Ranma-kun stood in a full stance as he glared at the taller boy and  
then moved in a blur towards Kuno screaming, "Moko Takabisha!"  
  
  
Everyone watching the fight only saw a sudden blight flash and then  
the sight of Kuno flying in a straight line until the school building  
stopped his path and then he almost went through that. Akane turned  
towards the standing form of Ranma-kun whose glow was dimming fast  
and the energy in his eyes blinking away. She had to run up and catch  
the falling boy who looked like he had wiped himself with that move.  
  
- - - -   
  
Holding Ranma-chan's head in her lap Akane and Nabiki looked worried  
at the still unconscious girl as they sat on Akane's bed. It had been  
almost an hour since the fight, it took almost that time to get Ranma-  
kun home with the help of Nabiki. They tried Dr. Tofu first but he  
was out somewhere and a plate of cookies sat on one of his tables so  
they quickly headed for home. Once there Kasumi made them change him  
back into a girl then started to get something started downstairs  
that was supposed to help get the girl's energy back up to safe levels.  
  
"Why hasn't she woken up yet?" Akane asked again for about the tenth  
time as she gave Nabiki a worried look.  
  
"I don't know," Nabiki replied in annoyance giving her sister a cold  
look trying to hide her worry. "I didn't know the last time you  
asked, or the times before that."  
  
"She is drained of her energy," Kasumi said calmly as she came in  
with a steaming cup. "Lift her head and I'll make her drink this."  
  
Akane complied quicky moving Ranma-chan into more of a sitting  
position and watched nervously as Kasumi put the cup to Ranma-chan's  
lips. Ranma-chan drank at the liquid as a hunger cub would from a  
mother wolf then seemed to relax more in a comfort way instead of an  
unconscious state, "I don't understand. . ."  
  
"What ever Ranma did she wasn't ready to do it. She could have  
killed herself if she was even slightly more tired," Kasumi replied  
as she moved a blanket over the lower half of the red headed girl.  
"Father taught me a recipe to make a sort of energy drink if he ever  
got into a simular way defending us. He seems to know a few  
techniques that might put him like this."  
  
Before Akane to ask more about what her Dad could possibly know that  
would cause something like this when Ranma-chan slowly opened her  
eyes and moaned. Turning her attention to the girl Akane gave her an  
angry look, "What the hell was that move you used! It nearly killed  
you!"  
  
"W. . What are you talking about?" Ranma-chan asked weakly not  
understanding what was going on. "How did Kuno beat me?"  
  
"Kuno didn't beat you, you sent him across the school yard and into  
the building hard enough that it shook the whole place," Nabiki  
replied snidely. "Then you fell down and almost died according to  
Kasumi."  
  
"How'd I beat him?" Ranma-chan looked very confused and ready to  
sleep again.  
  
"You started to glow and then ran at him and then a bright blue  
light exploded around you causing Kuno to fly," Akane said still  
looking worried.  
  
"Oh. . . okay," Ranma-chan replied as she slipped back into sleep.  
  
"She'll sleep about an hour but she will be weak for awhile after,"  
Kasumi stated as both younger sisters look at her in concern then she  
walked out of the room.  
  
- - - -  
  
Ranma-chan lifted her head a time later and blinked the sleep out of  
her eyes. She didn't have the feeling of waking from an important  
dream this time. . . if fact she didn't think she dreamed at all. She  
was more tired then she could remember being for a long long time but  
it was only in her body and not her mind so more sleep was out of the  
question.  
  
The room was dark and quiet so she slowly moved herself off Akane's  
bed and started to walk for the door only to bump into a large wooden  
object near the door. Rubbing her knee slightly she almost cursed the  
sight of her new Futon waiting to be used, she just wasn't mentally  
tired and she wished she was, "Damn, I guess I'm at the Tendo's."  
  
Slowly making her way down stairs she walked to the hallway opening  
into the livingroom-diningroom area and had to use the frame to hold  
herself up, "Um. . Kasumi, could I have something to eat?"  
  
Kasumi looked up from her tea and nodded without her usual smile  
before getting up and walking into the kitchen. Nabiki sat in her  
spot at the table and eyed the red haired girl in concern, "Are you  
feeling better?"  
  
"Not really, but thanks for the concern," Ranma-chan sat into her  
seat with a thud as she couldn't control her decent. Trying to ignore  
her condition she looked around not seeing her friend, "Where's Akane?"  
  
"She's meeting her friends halfway to tell them about what  
happened," Kasumi replied as she came back into the room carrying a  
small plate with a bowl on it. Placing it in front of Ranma-chan she  
gave the girl a serious look, "Now eat this all. It'll taste horrible  
but it's the next thing you need to rebuild your energy."  
  
"Great. . ." Ranma-chan sighed as she started to sip the soup then  
cringed before continuing. "Tastes familiar. . . only a little better  
then what Pop makes."  
  
"I guess Daddy learned it from the same person that Uncle Saotome  
did," Nabiki replied sniffing the steam then recoiled as if  
confronting a skunk. "Who ever it was cooks like Akane."  
  
"We're home!" came from the outer door as the sound of several  
people came into the house.  
  
"Speak of an Oni and. . ." Nabiki started rolling her eyes slightly  
at the laughter coming from the outer room.  
  
". . . And, Poof, three shall appear," Ranma-chan finished with a  
weak smile as she put done the bowl.  
  
"Ranma, you're up finally!" Akane said as she lead Yuka and Sayuri  
into the livingroom, the smile on her face was a little strained.  
"Are you feeling better?"  
  
"A little," Ranma-chan shrugged slightly then mentally cursed how  
tired she was again.  
  
"Good," Akane replied with a grin. "Don't worry about tonight. . .  
we decided on videos for our fun."  
  
"Yeah, Akane said that you weren't feeling very well," Sayuri said  
as she kneeled down beside the red haired girl. "I hope tonight isn't  
going to be a problem with you."  
  
"Nah, I'm awake but my body is a little out of it right now," Ranma-  
chan smiled weakly at Sayuri then turned to look at Akane. "So,  
whatcha get? Hopefully it isn't those awful romance movies."  
  
"See, I told you that she wouldn't like those," Yuka playfully  
punched Akane in the shoulder.  
  
"We have one romance movie," Akane replied giving Ranma-chan a  
challenging look, "it's an english movie called 'Princess Bride', and  
we have several action movies."  
  
"Sounds good," Ranma-chan slowly got up then was helped by Sayuri to  
the sofa. Turning her head towards Nabiki who was setting up to leave  
she smiled, "You going to join us or not?"  
  
"Moi? I don't think I'd be welcome," Nabiki replied without looking  
at the group.  
  
"I don't think anyone would really mind. . . unless they owe you  
money?" Ranma-chan looked at both new girls raising her eyebrows  
waiting for some support.  
  
"I don't mind," Sayuri said with a shrug. "The more the merrier."  
  
Yuka and Akane looked at each other and then both shrugged before  
Akane looked at her older sister, "Want to join us Nabiki?"  
  
"I'm not really into action films. . . but why not," Nabiki replied  
a little surprised.  
  
"Good, we'll get Kasumi out here too when we play that romance  
movie. . . I'm sure she'll enjoy the break from making us snacks all  
night long," Ranma-chan smiled as she patted the stop next to her for  
Nabiki to sit so she couldn't choose a seat secluded from the others.  
  
"I've got some snacks," Yuka offered up the bag she was carrying as  
she chose a spot on the floor in front of the sofa. "Mom always says  
to never visit empty handed."  
  
"Great, so what's first?" Ranma-chan asked as Akane pulled out  
several video tapes.  
  
- - - -  
  
Several hours later Kasumi had left a large tray of snacks and had  
gone off to bed after thanking Ranma-chan for insisting she watch the  
movie, she expected to dream of handsome men going to great lengths  
for her love and she had to hide the blush until well out of sight.  
Nabiki was discussing the way that her old, and the four younger  
girl's new, history teacher like to throw trick questions into his  
little pre-tests to prepare for the standard ones giving by the  
system when Sayuri brought up the reason they were there.   
  
"So, um, Akane? Ranma? What was the big secret you couldn't tell us  
at school?" Sayuri asked a little worried she was about to break the  
good mood everyone was in.  
  
  
Akane gave Ranma-chan a look and received a depressed nod before  
going off into the kitchen. Ranma-chan shifted so she could look at  
both girls then started, "You remember when Akane told you that I had  
gone to China to train? Well that's where the problem started."  
  
"Me and Pop where going to an ancient training grounds deep in the  
dark of that country. . . I wish we never did as it messed up both of  
our lives," Ranma-chan closed her eyes sadly as Akane came back out  
with the kettle they asked Kasumi to leave on and a glass of water.  
"There is a place called Jusenkyo that has hundreds of little springs  
all over it. . . it was a very beautiful place, if not for the  
curses. Our travel brochure explained the problems with the place but  
Pop tried to save money and bought the one in Chinese. . . then  
didn't give it to me to translate. It's not his fault though, neither  
one of us believed the Guide we picked up to help find the place when  
he warned us. You see, um, every one of the springs holds a curse  
that passes to the person who falls into the water. . ."  
  
"A curse? Magic's scary," Yuka said with a shudder acting like she  
was only listening to a ghost story.  
  
"Yeah, Magic's very scary," Ranma-chan replied with a frown before  
she continued. "Pop fell in one first from me hitting him, then I  
tripped into one. We both didn't understand what had happened at  
first. . . then we thought the changes were permanent until the Guide  
told us the truth. . ."  
  
"Oh come on! I thought you where going to tell us something serious  
like. . like. . like anything other then some ghost story," Sayuri  
crossed her arms in annoyance not happy at her friend Akane.   
  
"Akane, do it," Ranma-chan looked up slightly at the strong girl  
behind her then felt the cold water pour over his head as the change  
happened causing a couple of loud gasps from the other girls. She  
reset her clothes as they didn't fit again before looking at Yuka and  
Sayuri. "I fell into the Nannichuan spring, Spring of Drowned Boy,  
and I change into a boy every time cold water touches me."  
  
"wow," Yuka said quietly as she took in the handsome features of the  
now male Ranma.  
  
"Magic exists!?!" Sayuri asked almost in a panic also taking in the  
new Ranma-kun.  
  
"Evidently," Nabiki replied from the chair she had moved into after  
the first movie to get more comfortable. "Ranma actually lucked out  
with this curse, Uncle Saotome turns into a Panda."  
  
"Akane? Could you please?" Ranma-kun asked again and Akane poured  
the water from the kettle on him changing him back to herself causing  
Ranma-chan to reset her now very lose clothing.  
  
"Hot water changes her back," Akane finished the explanation holding  
up the kettle to press the point.  
  
"wow," Yuka said again still in a quiet tone as both girls blinked  
at the change.  
  
"Yeah, big wow," Ranma-chan replied sadly.  
  
"Is this why you're a lesbian? You don't think any guy would want  
you 'cause you become a guy from time to time?" Sayuri asked knowing  
it was impolite but she wanted to know.  
  
"No! I've was a lesbian long before this, and I couldn't care less  
what some boy thought about this!" Ranma-chan protested loudly trying  
to stand up but her body didn't want to comply and she fell back into  
the sofa halfway through the movement.  
  
"I'm sorry. . I didn't mean to. ." Sayuri started looking concerned  
for the red-head who was obviously not doing well.  
  
"It's okay, a lot of people get on me about why I 'chose' to be a  
lesbian. . . I know some girls choose it 'cause of things that happen  
in their lives, or as something different and new, but it didn't work  
like that with me. I think I've always been this way," Ranma-chan  
replied with a sad smile. "It's not like I don't find a boy cute from  
time to time but I just don't think of them like the way other girls  
do around me. I can't see myself living a happy life with any guy. .  
at least none I've ever met."  
  
"And you can see yourself living a happy life with some girl you've  
met?" Nabiki asked in curiosity causing the other girls to look her  
for a moment before turning back to Ranma-chan.  
  
"Several girls over the years actually," Ranma-chan blushed slightly.  
  
"I don't think her sexual choice should be an issue here," Akane  
stated looking hard at her friends. "Ranma-chan is worried that  
you'll think her a freak because of the curse. I've told her that  
she's being silly and I know you well enough to know that you'll  
accept her."  
  
Yuka and Sayuri looked at each other and shrugged before looking at  
Ranma-chan. Sayuri was the first to speak again, "Is there a cure?"  
  
"Not really, the Guide said that the other spring may cure me, or it  
may make things worse by combining the two curses to make a third  
form even more sexually confusing," Ranma-chan shook her head as she  
thanked the two failed tries to get to the other spring on that first  
day.  
  
"I don't see what the problem is, she's a very cute boy," Yuka smiled.  
  
"Yes she is," Nabiki agreed as Sayuri and Akane gave odd looks to  
the two girls.  
  
"Maybe we could date from time to time?" Sayuri asked giving Ranma-  
chan a nervous smile.  
  
"But I'm really a girl no matter what my form looks like," Ranma-  
chan replied confused as Akane tried not to respond in either  
jealousy or laughter.  
  
"What?" Ranma-chan asked as she looked up into Akane's face.  
  
"You can tell her Akane," Sayuri said with another nervous smile.  
  
Akane gave Sayuri a questioning look to get confirmation to what she  
just heard indicating Nabiki's presence before sitting on the edge of  
the sofa and looking down at Ranma-chan, "Sayuri is a lesbian too."  
  
"Really?" Ranma-chan looked shocked at the girl with the short  
brunet hair who simply nodded. Nabiki simply kept her mouth shut for  
the moment.  
  
"My reasons aren't as lofty as yours, mine is more of a choice,"  
Sayuri said quietly trying not to dwell on the past. "At least my  
Mother accepts it, even understands it sort of."  
  
"Lucky you, my Mother puts up with it but she obviously hates it,"  
Ranma-chan smiled back weakly.  
  
"So, would you mind a date from time to time? I don't advertise that  
I'm a lesbian so I don't get out on many dates and I could really use  
a night out like that," Sayuri asked again then noticed the looks  
from her two other friends. "It's not the same as having a night out  
with friends. . . it's the intimacy."  
  
"You've had more dates then I've had I could bet," Ranma-chan  
replied with a more real smile. "But I don't see why not. . . as long  
as Akane, Nabiki, or Kasumi don't mind that is."  
  
"Huh, why do we have a say in this?" Akane asked confused, happy  
that Ranma-chan had added her to the list of people who made a  
difference in this idea, but confused none the less.  
  
"Ranma is engaged to one of us, Akane, so her dating another girl  
could look wrong to those who know about that," Nabiki rolled her  
eyes as if she couldn't believe her little sister forgot that, but  
inside she was laughing at what Ranma-chan was getting at.  
  
"You're engaged to them!?! But you're all girls!?!" Yuka exclaimed  
in shock as Sayuri fell over laughing as it hit her how it could  
happen.  
  
"It's our Fathers idea!" both Ranma-chan and Akane protested then  
they looked at each other and started laughing too.  
  
"I don't understand. . ." Yuka said even more confused why almost  
everyone was laughing.  
  
"Uncle Saotome made a pledge with Daddy to combine the two schools  
by marriage. . . since Ranma can become a boy they reasoned that he  
could marry one of us and produce heirs," Nabiki explained trying not  
to laugh too. "Since Ranma is a lesbian it works out even better. But  
Ranma is promised to us first so she really shouldn't be dating  
anyone but us."  
  
"Oh," Yuka replied not looking completely sure she understood.  
  
"I don't see any problems with Ranma and Sayuri going out once in  
awhile," Nabiki said with a smile. "I doubt Kasumi wants you that way  
Ranma so she isn't really a consideration in this as she's not happy  
with your 'life choice'. But I think that if you take Sayuri out on a  
date you have to take me and Akane on equal amount of nights out."  
  
"Hey! I don't know if I want to. . ." Akane started to protest when  
Nabiki put a hand up to stop her as Ranma-chan's features were  
showing signs of becoming depress.  
  
"Ranma can be a boy on our dates. . . if we want. Besides the whole  
school thinks you are dating Ranma-kun as it is so why not have some  
fun with it," Nabiki continued then gave an evil smirk. "It'll drive  
Kuno nuts to know you are dating Ranma-kun."  
  
"It'll drive Kuno nuts to know I'm dating anyone," Ranma-chan cringed.  
  
"Then it's settled," Nabiki smirked. "Ranma you are in for a lot of  
fun soon."  
  
"Yeah, right, fun," Ranma-chan looked dubious about that.  
  
"Come on we have some more movies to watch," Akane said quickly not  
sure she liked the idea either.  
  
- - - -  
  
Ranma looked around at the mist and cursed Kuno for ever being born  
in any reality. The mists where their standard thickness and the  
scene on the screen was that of all the girls, except Nabiki sleeping  
on the sofa having passed out.   
  
He didn't understand how he pushed through the barriers of the mind  
to take control, and the control was only momentary, but he had do so  
and it nearly cost Ranma-chan her life. He couldn't even figure out  
why he had pushed at that moment but the urge just happened.  
  
"That wasn't very bright, child," a scratch old voice stated from  
behind him causing him to spin to face the old woman.  
  
"What are you doing here!?!" Ranma demanded even as it confused him.  
Standing before him was what he thought was Cologne, but a much older  
one then he remembered. . . if that was even possible.  
  
"I'm your Guide tonight, child, and as such I'm to answer your  
questions," the old woman replied as she hopped over to the screen  
and smiled. "It looks like you have even better luck with girls in  
this world then you normally do."  
  
"I don't have luck with girls at all! They either try ta kill me or  
marry me!" Ranma protested as he sat down with arms and legs crossed  
in annoyance.  
  
"Yes but they rarely ask you if want to date them as these girls  
did," the old woman chucked. "Except for the youngest Tendo girl, but  
I believe that she will enjoy that too."  
  
"The old man from the shop said Akane ain't a lesbian. . . and  
Akane's Mother sorta confirmed that too," Ranma stated narrowing his  
eyes at the very old woman. "Were they lying ta me?"  
  
"No child they were not," the old woman chuckled again. "Just not  
telling you everything."  
  
"And what is 'everything'?" Ranma asked his agitation growing.  
  
"Akane Tendo has been fighting with her desires since she met you,  
as she is attracted to you both as a boy and as a girl," the old  
woman replied as she stepped off her cane in front of Ranma. "She has  
been raised to believe that things like lesbianism is not right, so  
how so you think she feels knowing that she is feeling those things  
for you as a girl and as a boy. . . and worse she is expected to have  
those feeling for you."  
  
Turning to look at the screen again she sighed sightly, "If only  
Kasumi could have been a bit more like us this problem wouldn't have  
happened."  
  
"Whatcha mean us?" Ranma asked narrowing his eyes, the more he  
looked at the old woman the less she looked like the Cologne he knew.  
  
"Nothing, nothing child, it's of no importance anymore," the old  
woman waved of the question quickly then turned serious. "So ask your  
questions."  
  
Ranma continued to narrow his eyes at the old woman but knew if she  
was anything like the Cologne he knew she wouldn't answer what he  
just asked, "Fine, is Kuno alright?"  
  
"Yes child, he will be in bad shape for awhile but he will live  
without any more permanent damage then there already was," the old  
woman said trying to comfort the boy as he showed that this bothered  
him greatly.  
  
"How did I do it?" Ranma asked after sighing in relief. "And can I  
do it again?"  
  
"It was the first step of you and this Ranma becoming one," the old  
woman said as smiled sadly at the boy. "You won't be able to do  
something of that level for some time but when you can then you will  
have accepted this world as your own and this life will be such."  
  
"You mean I won't get my Akane back?" Ranma looked worried and  
almost panicked.  
  
"Your Akane? She's right there," the old woman pointed to the screen  
behind her with a smirk on her dry lips. "She is the same as the  
Akane who you left so she is 'your' Akane as much as the other was."  
  
"But. . but I need ta know if she's doing okay or not," Ranma  
protested as he stood again and looked down at the old woman getting  
a touch mad.  
  
"She is currently doing fine child," the old woman gave Ranma a real  
smile. "She'll be fine as you will come back to her in some way or  
another."  
  
"I thought you said this was gonna be permanent?" Ranma looked  
confused again. "How can I go back ta her if I'm stuck here?"  
  
"Time will show you how child," the old woman smirked again then  
hopped back on her staff looking ready to leave. "I believe that is  
all the time we have child, as someone is about to wake you."  
  
Ranma quickly looked at the screen to see what the old woman was  
talking about but before he could focus on anything the entire place  
started to blur and he started to disappear.  
  
The old woman watched him vanish sadly and blew the place he was  
standing a small kiss, "Until I'm allowed back my love."  
  
- - - -  
  
Author's Notes: Over six months! Ouch! I'm sorry to the people who  
have been waiting for this. . . but I had written more then seven  
more chapters on paper months ago and then went and lost the lot.  
I've finally given up hope of finding the pages and have started to  
wrote from scratch the chapters I needed to get back to. I hope that  
the delay for the next chapter won't be anywhere near as bad but  
other fics have me tied up a bit so I'm not sure. All I can say is  
that if I post the fic on FFN then I do plan to continue it at some  
time and not leave it hanging for ever (I hate it when other writers  
do that so I shouldn't be guilty of it myself) I just have to learn  
to start writing one shot fics instead of long plotted out fics like  
this one.  
  
I will leave comments about this chapter to you as I'll leave it to  
you to e-mail me with the questions and then I'll try to answer them  
in either the next AN or on the review page. I like C+C but flames  
will be ignored completely as they do nothing but discourage a writer  
from getting better. 


	5. Chapter 4: People in the Past

...I have no idea from this point on...  
[ IHNIFTPO ]  
  
Ranma's Wish, Chapter 4  
By Felix Webster ( Felix Warstar )  
[felix_webster@telus.net]  
  
All original Ranma ½ Characters Copyright Rumiko Takahashi (first  
published by Shogakugan in Japan and brought over to North America by  
Viz Communications), and are used without permission. Please don't  
sue... cause I have no money.  
  
" " - speech  
* * - thoughts  
( ) - other languages - Chinese mostly -  
[ ] - Panda signs  
  
- People in the Past -  
  
Ryoga Hibiki ran a hand through his wild hair with a nervous smile  
on his face as he accepted a handshake from the newest student with  
his other hand, "Ryoga Hibiki. . . um, thanks for the help."  
  
"Ranma Saotome," the smaller boy smiled back. They both looked at  
the twenty plus others in unconscious heaps all around them. "What  
was that all about?"  
  
Ryoga seemed unhappy about the whole thing but he was even more  
unhappy about having to explain. He really didn't know the other boy  
yet, but it was Ranma who helped him actually get to school on time.  
. . and to win the bet on that unlikely possibility, "I would assume  
they bet against me getting to the school this week. . ."  
  
"Now that sounds like a silly bet," Ranma gave the piles of human  
bones and flesh a disbelieving look. "You only live five blocks from  
here."  
  
Ryoga felt the anger rise at hearing that 'little' fact but calmed  
it as he realized Ranma didn't know of his curse. Squaring his  
shoulders he did something he never liked even thinking about, "I  
have a terrible sense of direction."  
  
"It can't be that bad. . . can it?" Ranma tried to take the  
confession as a joke but Ryoga's expression make Ranma's eyes go wide.  
  
"It's a family curse," Ryoga cringed involuntarily as he continued.  
"Both of my parents have it to a lesser degree. . . it just kinda  
combined in me."  
  
"That's. . that's rough man," Ranma replied sounding truly  
concerned. "How do you get around if you get so lost?"  
  
"Our pet dog is trained to find us and lead us home. . . other than  
that it's a gamble," Ryoga shrugged as he picked up his school bag  
but still didn't move to enter the school. "But she's out looking for  
my Dad right now."  
  
"Was that place I met you close to your house?" Ranma asked as he  
noticed the other students moving inside with more speed.  
  
"That lot is right behind my house. . . which has a large sign on it  
that says 'Hibiki Residence'" Ryoga smiled nervously putting his hand  
behind his head out of reflex.  
  
"Great! I'd love to see a place designed for that kind of problem,"  
Ranma gave Ryoga a friendly smile as he grabbed Ryoga's hand and  
started to drag the bigger teen into the school. "I'll help you get  
home after school, but right now we have to get to our classes."  
  
Ryoga was speechless, he had a friend. Someone who didn't question  
his curse. Someone who simply looked past it. And for some  
incomprehensible reason having his hand in the person's hand made him  
blush.  
  
- - - -   
  
The cafeteria was a pure mad house. Mad because so many boys wanted  
to eat the food made there, crazy as it may seem, and Ryoga barely  
made there. He had been getting to school so regularly that the  
school's betting pool was drying up on that, but Ranma let him figure  
out his own way to things like the bathroom and the cafeteria. He  
wasn't doing so bad actually, as long as Ranma was in class he could  
find it for some reason. . . not always quickly but he would find it.  
That was why he was sure Ranma was in the cafeteria somewhere.  
  
"The last two egg and seaweed salad sandwiches coming up!" the Lunch  
lady called out over the roar coming from the mass of boys standing  
and waiting like caged animals. She threw the two daily specials into  
the air, "After that they're all gone!"  
  
Ryoga would have made a move on the flying objects as he actually  
like the combination but he held back as he saw a flash of movement  
snagging both and Ranma landing next to him holding one out to him  
with a smile and a sarcastic comment, "They as just soooo slow at  
this school!"  
  
Ichiro Kaniko, the school's book maker and all around scumbag, gave  
the pair a wilting glare as he and his three henchmen all turned  
around each with a foot print on their faces, "I see ,Hibiki, that  
you and your 'girlfriend' are at it again. Can't you two be all lovey  
dovey out of public view you pervs?"  
  
"Ryoga! Just leave it," Ranma barely caught hold of the back of  
Ryoga's school jacket before he could get them both into trouble.  
"You know the principal's rules on fighting. I really don't want to  
get suspended."  
  
"Besides," Ranma added as he calmed down his friend and saw the smug  
sneer on Ichiro's face, "we both know he's just jealous that he can't  
have you himself."  
  
Both faces dropped but Ryoga recovered before Ichiro, "I don't care  
what kind of pervert he is, I'm straight!"  
  
"Much to his disappointment I'm sure," Ranma snickered again cutting  
off Ichiro's protests.  
  
"I'M NOT GAY!!!" Ichiro screamed in frustration making everyone who  
hadn't already watched the display turn and look at him.  
  
"They why such an interest in Ryoga?" Ranma smiled evilly. "It's  
almost an unhealthy obsession."  
  
"I'M NOT OBSESSED WITH HIBIKI!!" Ichiro screamed totally red faced  
as even his own lackeys were trying not to laugh. "I don't give a  
damn about the terminally lost boy!"  
  
"Then stop acting like you do!" Ranma spun away and put a hand on  
Ryoga's back to push him outside.  
  
A little while later both Ranma and Ryoga were sitting under a very  
shady tree, Ryoga devouring the sandwich and Ranma bringing out two  
bentos.  
  
"Mom figured you'd need one," Ranma smiled as he handed the larger  
box to Ryoga, who looked at it with both shock and hunger. "I mean  
your mother can't always make you one."  
  
"I don't get it. . . you've been nice to me since we met," Ryoga  
said between bites happy to see the same gust for eating was being  
now mirrored by Ranma. It caused him to blush for reasons that he  
could not explain.  
  
"Why shouldn't I be?" Ranma blinked in confusion. "You're a friend.  
You don't treat friends like Ichiro treats his lackeys."  
  
"What about when we met? Why?" Ryoga looked like this had been  
bothering him for quite awhile.  
  
"I saw you dent a post box out of frustration and I knew you were  
strong. I saw you were skilled in the art and in what looked like a  
simular school as me. People like us can only really be either close  
friends or bitter rivals. . . I would rather have a friend," Ranma  
explained patting Ryoga on the back. " Besides, you're the only  
person other than Pop I can spar with without holding back."  
  
Ryoga joined Ranma in laughing and when his friend's head was down  
he noticed that the hair near Ranma's roots had gone red. He shrugged  
it off figuring it wasn't any of his business.  
  
- - - -  
  
Weeks passed. Both still got razzed and bugged about being a couple  
by Ichiro. Both still continued as the best of friends, even though  
Ryoga started to feel real weird around Ranma. They sparred every  
other day, ate together, and hung out at Ryoga's house all the time.  
They didn't bother going to Ranma's anymore as Mrs. Saotome just  
seemed too overjoyed about their friendship. Mr. Saotome kept hinting  
at a pairing of Ryoga and what he assumed was Ranma's twin sister,  
who was off at boarding school for the legally challenged. . .  
according to Ranma. Ranma pointed out that his sister took after his  
father's side of the family. Things didn't change much until near the  
end of the term. . . then they turned totally to hell.  
  
Ranma and his dad were late getting back from a training weekend, so  
that Monday left Ryoga to try to get to find the school himself. He  
actually didn't get too badly lost as he knew he was still in the  
right ward when he came upon the park. He just hoped he would find  
someone there to get him to school.  
  
After a few minutes of looking around he heard sniffled crying  
coming from nearby. Worried that someone was badly hurt he headed  
straight toward the sound. What he found was a fellow classmate  
sitting on a bench looking like he had been used as a kendo practice  
dummy, "Soeda?"  
  
". . . Ryoga Hibiki?" Soeda looked up with only one good, but very  
red eye making the beating look worse. Ryoga was suddenly very  
uncomfortable as Soeda was one of only three openly gay boys at  
school, and the only one actually in his class.  
  
A small battle raged inside of Ryoga. On one side he didn't want to  
be seen with such a pervert, but on the other Soeda had been beaten  
brutally. Everyone knew Soeda wouldn't lift a finger to defend  
himself, he was a pacifist, so hitting him was like kicking a puppy.  
In a sack. Only someone with no honour would do that! Ranma would  
never forgive him if he didn't deal with this. Sitting down near the  
other boy Ryoga narrowed his eyes, "Ichiro?"  
  
"Mostly his goons. . . but yes, Ichiro," Soeda said looking away  
embarrassed.  
  
"Why?" Ryoga asked calmly even though the rage was building to  
boiling, he had to focus on the confidence training that Ranma helped  
him build to transfer the anger to more useful activities, like  
planing Ichiro's pain.  
  
"Because of you and Saotome," Soeda replied earning him a confused  
look from Ryoga. "He's a closed-minded bigot who is venting the fact  
that you and Saotome are flaunting you relationship in front of him  
on the rest of us."  
  
"We're just friends!" Ryoga bolted upright, the rage following back  
to it's old patterns and the training all but forgotten.  
  
"Uh huh, right," Soeda said nearly sarcastically but then waved it  
off to continue. "Either way Ichiro is pissed off and taking it out  
on anyone he even thinks is gay since none of them could take either  
you or Saotome."  
  
"I'll have a talk with Ichiro about that," Ryoga replied through  
gritted teeth. "When I find the school. . ."  
  
"Where's Saotome? Doesn't he help you get to school each morning?"  
Soeda asked realizing finally that Ryoga was alone and not with his  
friend. "You two have a spat?"  
  
"We're not like that!" Ryoga countered nearly freaking completely  
out then calmed down a bit. "Him and his Dad are late getting back  
from a training trip."  
  
"Oh?" Soeda gave Ryoga a concerned look as much as his smashed face  
would allow.  
  
"Why do people keep assuming. . keep assuming me and Ranma are perv.  
. more than best friends?" Ryoga asked as he sat back down depressed,  
it had really bothered him from the first time Ichiro started it and  
it had gotten any better. Ichiro wasn't the only person either, too  
many people had made that assumption. Heck, Soeda was gay and even he  
made that assumption!  
  
"Um. . how should I say this. . ." Soeda started as he gave the  
large, and very strong boy a worried glance. Figuring he couldn't  
hurt much more than he already did he decided to actually explain  
what he saw. "It's the way you two look at each other. . . no, more  
the way you look at Saotome really. The happiness in you eyes from  
just being near him says so much. When you mentioned that Ranma  
wasn't back yet the pain and loneliness was obvious. Whether you want  
to believe it or not you are in love with Saotome. . . and the rest  
of us are envious that you found someone like that."  
  
"Look, I'm willing to deal with Ichiro for you. . to get him to at  
least lay off, but don't try putting your twisted views on Ranma's  
and my friendship," Ryoga stated coldly and stood up. "Now I need you  
to get me to the school."  
  
Soeda didn't look happy about going back but agreed.  
  
- - - -  
  
It was the last of the school classes for the term and Ryoga,  
although still the best friend he could be, was distant of late. His  
mind was working overtime on what Soeda had said, the idea still did  
not want to file itself into his brain. It wasn't that he denied his  
feelings for Ranma to himself anymore. . . it was that he didn't  
believe he was gay. Nope. Nada. Not interested in guys!  
  
He didn't feel the slightest bit attracted to any other guy, and  
when a girl he ran into one weekend tried to kiss him for saving her  
cat he fainted from blood loss at the idea that a girl was being that  
kind to him. But when he even thought about Ranma his heart soared.  
  
Finally he made up his mind, he had given Ranma a note the day  
before and wouldn't answer any of Ranma's questions about what it  
meant.  
  
Ranma had not been happy about what Ichiro had done to Soeda when he  
found out, but to Ryoga it seemed the anger came for different  
reasons. Both of them had confronted Ichiro at different times to  
'discuss' with him his behaviour, and after Ranma's little talk  
Ichiro took ill and had to finish the term by correspondence.  
  
"Remember, me and Pop are training in China this summer so I can't  
do much because I have to pack," Ranma reminded as he walked away  
from Ryoga's house holding the note and still confused as to why his  
friend would challenge him.  
  
". . . maybe he found out I'm a girl? It would explain why he's been  
so distant lately," Ranma said to herself as she tried to figure this  
all out and continued to her own house.  
  
- - - -  
  
Ranma stood in the empty lot looking very annoyed. She had been  
there for three days already and Ryoga was nowhere to be seen! He  
lived just behind the lot for heaven's sake! And she was cold,  
hungry, and very wet from the recent rain during the early morning.  
  
"What are you doing girl!" Genma demanded loudly as he stood to one  
side and did not like the look of his daughter's state. "Your Mother  
nearly killed me when you didn't come home. . . two days ago!"  
  
"Sorry Pop," Ranma replied apologetically. "Ryoga challenged me but  
he hasn't shown up yet."  
  
"Why would that boy what to challenge you?" Genma looked confused.  
"You two were nearly inseparable. . . Wait! You didn't tell him did  
you!? I know your Mother would be happy about you finally having a  
boyf. . ."  
  
"No Pop, I didn't tell him!" Ranma cut her Father off before  
something completely uncomfortable was said. "He may have figured it  
out for himself though. . . it would explain the challenge if he felt  
betrayed by me for not telling him."  
  
"Either way we can't wait for the boy any longer," Genma waved it  
all off as he put a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Whatever it is  
it can wait for when we get back. Your Mother wants to say goodbye  
before we leave. . . and you could use some dry clothes."  
  
"I guess Pop," Ranma walked out the lot with her Father, she was not  
happy but he was right it could wait until they got back from China.  
"I really wanted to clear this up before going though. . . it might  
really a potential problem later."  
  
- - - -  
  
One half hour later Ryoga Hibiki ran into the vacant lot, dirt  
encrusted on his clothes from hard travel. He slowed to a slower pace  
as he walked onto the turned ground from the pavement and carried a  
bouquet of very dead roses as if they were precious as life itself.  
He stopped dead in his tracks when he realized that Ranma was not to  
be seen anywhere. Knowing his own problems he took a moment to make  
sure it was the right lot then cursed as he knew he was where he  
wanted to be. Ranma knew enough about his curse to know to wait for  
him to finally get to the lot. . . but Ranma wasn't there.   
  
Ryoga felt a sensation that he hadn't felt since he was a child, he  
wanted to cry.  
  
He stopped it before it started by fuelling the grief and pain into  
the rage. Ranma didn't care, if he did he would have been there! No,  
Ranma must have known what Ryoga was going to say! He must have  
guessed what Ryoga had only recently understood for himself recently.  
He knew and he chose to make a fool of Ryoga! Ranma never ignored a  
challenge, but he wasn't there!  
  
Ryoga's rage blinded his reason so totally that he missed the muddy  
tracks that led out of the lot, still fresh. Instead he crushed the  
roses and screamed to the heavens, "RANMA SAOTOME!"  
  
"I'LL MAKE YOU PAY FOR TOYING WITH MY HEART!"  
  
"I WILL HAVE REVENGE ON YOU FOR MAKING ME QUESTION MY MANHOOD!"  
  
"I WILL FOLLOW YOU TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH, AND INTO HELL ITSELF IF  
I HAVE TO MAKE YOU PAY!!"  
  
Ryoga ran out of the vacant lot as his mind let him remember where  
Ranma should be going, China, and that wasn't very hard to get to!  
  
- - - -  
  
Ranma stumbled as a feeling of dread washed over her and Genma  
actually had to catch her before she ended face first. She couldn't  
explain it but suddenly she felt as if she was alone in the world  
again. She hadn't felt like since before making friends with Ryoga  
and she didn't like that fact that feeling came back as they walked  
in to the Saotome family home to get ready to leave for China. "I  
should have stayed. . ."  
  
"You are in no state to stand there any longer," Genma replied even  
though he knew she was talking to herself. "As it is I think you  
should stay home for a day or two so you can recover you health."  
  
"No Pop, I'm fine. It's passed already," Ranma reassured her Father  
and stood up straight putting a look of determination "I'm not  
putting off going to China for even one more day. I have a feeling it  
will be the most important training trip we've ever done. . . I feel  
that I'm destined to learn the greatest of all Martial skills from  
this trip and I won't miss that for anything!"  
  
"That's the girl I raised!" Genma smiled and hugged his daughter  
proud at her drive, her determination to be the best.  
  
- - - -  
  
Akane barely responded to her older sister's questions, she tried to  
focus but it was so hard. Her family's concern was lessening finally  
as she actually was getting better, she at least talked to people  
now. She was so bad that she hadn't even tried to defend herself when  
Shampoo attacked her demanding to know where she hide Ranma. It had  
been up to her Father and Genma to start defending her from the  
onslaught that Ranma's missing caused. The two showed many why it was  
that one had a Dojo and the other had trained one of the strongest  
Martial Artist of the age, even Cologne was finally impressed with  
them.  
  
It had be several weeks since Ranma disappeared by wishing himself  
away, but not long enough for Akane to wish to idiot back. During  
that time she had a mental breakdown and nothing anyone tried brought  
her out of it. But know she was almost ready. Almost back. The spark  
was coming. The anger.  
  
She was coming back to herself because the time was coming and she  
needed to be centered to face it right. She needed to think, to come  
up with a wish that brought Ranma back to her. . . without ruining  
what he had wished for. He had tried to solve it all, the curse, the  
fiances, and the rivals in one go. . . and according to the old  
shopkeeper Ranma got his wish, if only after a fashion, and she  
wasn't going to ruin it for him but she needed him back!  
  
"Akane? Akane, I asked what you plan to do about that stone?" Nabiki  
said again as she snapped her fingers in front of her younger  
sister's face.  
  
"Wha. . Huh? Sorry Nabiki," Akane replied out of reflex still no  
emotion in her tone.  
  
"That wishing stone you mentioned. . . I went to the shop you talked  
about and the old shopkeeper actually showed it to me," Nabiki looked  
disturbed at what she remembered was in the shop. "You're going to  
have to have a plan and a wish ready as that guy isn't going to wait  
for you, if someone else gets there first they get the wish and we  
have to wait again."  
  
"He told me to come back," Akane said softly not understanding,  
Nabiki just said the old man wasn't waiting for her.  
  
"He offered me the wish when I went in. Told me I'd have to wait the  
remaining week for it to finish recharging though," Nabiki had a look  
of annoyance in her eyes as she would just love that wish. . . even  
knowing what wishing led to around Nerima. "He also told me that he  
had to move on after that because too many wishes had be granted  
here."  
  
"What!?" Akane snapped her head up finally. "He can't!"  
  
Nabiki had to restrain Akane from running out of her room, "Calm  
down! The old guy actually told me that whoever made the next wish it  
was going to involve Ranma directly. . . most likely to get him back."  
  
  
"But they'll get it wrong!" Akane stated in a panic. "They'll undo  
what he wished for too!"  
  
"It that what you are worried about? That to get him back the wish  
would have to cancel Ranma's wishes?" Nabiki looked a little shocked.  
"It's his fault that he made four wishes trying to be cleaver."  
  
"You would've tried it too!" Akane spat loudly at her sister. "You  
just love to get more than your fair share!"  
  
"Whoa! Where'd that come from? First you barely acknowledge the  
world, now you're back and shouting at your own family," Nabiki moved  
slightly farther back in the rolling desk chair. "But you're right  
that I would have tried something simular. . . only I'd have  
succeeded."  
  
"No, no you wouldn't have," Akane said as all the emotion drained  
away again. "One wish. Only one wish."  
  
"To get exactly what you wish for," Nabiki nodded. "He told me the  
warning too. And Ranma could have simply asked for the curse removed  
from the moment he received it. Or that he never got cursed in the  
first place. It would have solved so much."  
  
"Then we would be dead right now," Akane said softly. "The curse  
brought people to train Ranma in more powerful styles. . . it made  
him push himself beyond his limits just to prove to himself he was  
still a man. Everything revolved around that curse."  
  
"Whatever. I don't see it, all I see is the problem that curse  
brought him, you, and us," Nabiki narrowed her eyes as she got up to  
leave, she wouldn't admit that her little sister was right twice in  
one night. Even in her condition. It happened very rarely thankfully,  
she must be under too much stress herself to not think of every angle  
about Ranma's wish.  
  
"I need a wish," Akane said as she put an arm over her eyes to block  
out the ceiling light.  
  
"You'll have one, I'll make sure of that sis," Nabiki replied softly  
as she quietly left the room.  
  
- - - -  
  
AN: Ranma is referred to as a guy for the most part in this chapter  
as that is how everyone is supposed to see her. People have asked for  
me to get back to Akane for aftermath and this chapter was prime to  
do it as there really could be a dream sequence at the end in this  
one. 


End file.
